


No Longer a Pawn

by animalz_ovr_ppl26



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mob, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Avengers Family, Blood and Injury, Bucky Barnes Feels, Dark, Denial of Feelings, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Exhibitionism, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Feelings, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Forced Marriage, Hurt Bucky Barnes, Hurt No Comfort, Hydra (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, Love, Love Confessions, Mob boss - Tony Stark, Multi, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Pregnancy, Protective Bucky Barnes, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reader-Insert, SHIELD, Sex, Slow Burn, Threesome, Violence, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:49:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24720061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animalz_ovr_ppl26/pseuds/animalz_ovr_ppl26
Summary: Y/N has lived a rough life with her dad as a politician. His slimy, illegal, under-the-table deals have caught up to him and now you are bearing the consequences of his actions. You get thrust into the mob life of New York City unwillingly because of it. This story will follow how you survive  in a life you never dreamed of having.
Relationships: Avengers Team & Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello darlings! Welcome to No Longer a Pawn! This is an alternate universe story with select members of the Avengers. It is an alternate universe mob story, so lots of drama, love, violence, and angst is guaranteed. I may be adding some tags along the road so please keep an eye on those.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

It was just another Friday night all cozied up at your home away from home with just your scum bag shitty father. He was pacing the entire first floor of the New York State Executive Mansion, while he yelled at his poor assistant over the phone, which was a normal night in with him. You were calmly sitting on the couch watching a movie on TV ignoring your piece of shit father while you scrolled through Instagram.

You finally felt more relaxed in your gray baggy sweatpants, lavender long fuzzy robe, baby pink fluffy faux-fur lined slippers. Your hair was pulled up into a messy bun and your face was finally feeling fresh with the chartreuse clay face mask that was currently detoxing your skin. You had cucumbers on your eyes for a whole 30 seconds before you got hungry and just ate them instead.

You really needed some downtime this weekend, as work had been hell. You love your boss but he was going to be the death of you with all the PR scandals he seemed to consistently find himself wrapped up in. Sometimes it felt like you were babysitting him, so he didn’t do something stupid, but hey, the pay was insane, and you know your boss adores you in a protective, dad-like manner. The nature of your true relationship still very much a secret. And you wanted it to stay that way.

You were visiting your dad this weekend in Albany as you needed a break from the city, some peace and quiet. Being the Governor’s daughter was a curse more times than not, especially when your father was a two-timing son of a bitch who only cared about himself. You often caught the brunt of his decisions and were followed around the city by paparazzi daily. They pestered you about his political and personal issues and it was infuriating. You were just a teenager.

He’s absolutely no angel but why should you be asked about the photos that got leaked that show him having affairs? Or sleeping with prostitutes? Doing drugs or other illegal shit? It wasn’t not like you had a stable relationship with him. But the public didn’t know that. Because his “fake” pristine family image was what kept him somewhat likeable.

But on the other hand, it had its perks before you had your…accident. As your dad has been a public political figure for most of your life, you’ve grown accustomed to these perks, and you couldn’t complain. You got into exclusive parties for free, people and brands want to give you free shit all the time, and you got to meet celebs and athletes. That part of your life was as glamorous as it sounds. It was at its peak when your dad was the mayor of New York City, and since he won the gubernatorial race a couple years ago, things were completely different.

You essentially became a ghost. After your accident, you disappeared to take care of your health, but really, it was your dad hiding you away to ensure his illegal discretions with Hydra were kept a secret.

Your father knows he’s a piece of shit and did little to nothing to support you while growing up. He was, and still is, completely obsessed with his career and political standing. He’s an utter shark, where he’ll do anything and everything to get what he wants.

He really fucked things up when you caught him, the first time, having an affair with his secretary when you were 11 and your mom was out of town. You’ve never felt more betrayed and things have never been the same since. You’ve blamed him for breaking up your family and yet, he doesn’t care. Your mom abandoned you after she caught him herself and fled out of the city, leaving you all alone with one of the worst men imaginable.

He was never the father figure you dreamed of having. His way of fixing things is to just throw money at it, so he makes up for that with letting you use him as a personal ATM. And you milk that for all its worth if he’s offering it up. He pays for your apartment in the city, your car, all your expenses, shopping, and travel; basically everything, which is so nice because then you can save all your own paychecks. It might seem entitled and privileged but if that’s how he was going to apologize for a lifetime of fuck ups and abuse, then you won’t complain.

The next moment you heard brash, hard, rapid pounding on the front door and incessant, loud voices yelling at your father to open up. This confused you as it was 10:45pm on a Friday night and usually the gate security had to approve any and all visitors before they were allowed up to the house.

“Dad?” You yelled to him in the kitchen. “Were you expecting company tonight?” You waited a beat but no answer. All you heard were his continued commands at his assistant. Ignoring you was his strong suit.

It wasn’t unusual for him to have his staff over at the house late at night, any day of the week, doing whatever needed to be done. You actively worked on staying away from anything professional your father did as his job made you despise politics. Because you saw, and experienced, what really went on behind closed doors, and it wasn’t pretty, or legal most of the time.

Without suspecting anything wrong and stupidly not checking the security cameras, you walked up to the front door and opened it up to find a group of very intimidating, scary men, and the most fierce and frightening woman you’ve ever encountered, standing in front of you with scowls indicating they were _not_ happy campers.

The next thing you knew, you were shoved backwards, _hard_ , and you hit your head on the wooden floor with a loud thud. Your head starts to feel fuzzy and lightheaded.

When you tried to open your eyes, things were blurry. You reached back to touch the back of your head and your hand came back a little red. _These fuckers made you bleed!_

And you could already feel the bump starting to form. _That’s gonna fucking hurt._

The group of rough looking individuals passed by and intruded the kitchen, where your father was. You hated your father’s guts, but he was still your dad. It would kill you inside if something happened to him. _How fucked up is that? After all that abuse?_

You heard struggled cries, groans, clanging, and then your dad’s whiny pleading voice.

The next thing you heard sounded like a hand connecting against a face.

You yelled after him, “Dad! Dad!”

You scrambled up from your spot on the floor slowly, as the blood rushed to your head making you feel woozier.

You started crawling your way closer to the kitchen but were stopped short in your tracks when you heard a deep, commanding voice speak up above the rest.

“Get the dumb bitch in here.”

Your breath hitched. _Is he talking about you?_ He must be, there’s no one else in the house. You went to turn around quickly on your hands and knees and make for the door. Your escape plan was interrupted by the hard yank of your bun. The asshole who touched your hair wrenched you backwards to the point where he was dragging your ass into the kitchen by your hair. You were going to have the absolute _worst_ headache tomorrow. If you made it out alive tonight.

You reached your hands back behind your head to where the asshole was holding your hair and started grasping at his wrists to let go. You pinched, scratched, anything to make him let go but his grip did not lessen.

Your eyes watered from the ache in your head and you could feel your face mask begin to crack as you scrunched your face in pain.

You were thrust to the floor next to your father and your head hits the floor again. _For fucks sake._

As you raised your head, you saw one of the prettiest men you have ever seen stand before you. He was the epitome of prince charming, the high school quarterback, the homecoming king. He’s so beautiful, with his dazzling ocean blue eyes, perfectly coiffed dirty blonde hair, high cheekbones, and those plump rosy lips. You could ogle him all day and be blissfully happy. You were struck frozen in your place looking up at him.

The blonde man noticed you staring up at him and knew exactly what you were thinking. He smirked, “See somethin’ ya like sweetheart?”

You rolled your eyes at his cockiness in an attempt to brush it off with a steady tone, “Keep dreaming pretty boy.”

You continued to struggle against his grip, and you heard another set of footsteps enter the house and approach the kitchen. And then a _very_ familiar voice rung out with menace, “Where is that two-faced, coward of a politician?”

When the voice rounded the corner, you couldn’t believe your eyes. You yelled in disbelief, “TONY?!”

Tony whipped his face to you as you were being held down by pretty boy. He was in utter shock.

“Y/N?! Wh-what are you doing here?!”

“What the hell do you mean, ‘what am I doing here?’ I LIVE HERE! Well, part time. But why are you in my house?!” You didn’t relent and your anger and frustration poured out of your voice.

Tony was speechless, this was the last place he wanted you to be. And he sure as hell didn’t want his crew to find out exactly who you were to him.

“I’m so glad you got that nose job. It did wonders for you. Without me getting you the best plastic surgeon, you’d still be lookin’ like that piece of shit father over there.”

“Fuck Tony, that was a low blow, even for you. But seriously, what the fuck is going on?!”

He put his hands out in front to try to placate your temper, “Please, Y/N let me explain—”

You chuckled darkly, “Oh you best believe your ass is gonna explain. But first tell this gorgeously perfect hot ogre of a man to stop manhandling me.”

That caused pretty boy to tug on your hair that much harder. “Ow!” You hit his forearm, “Stop that!”

Tony stepped in, “Rogers, let her go.”

When Rogers didn’t let go immediately and he gave his boss a questioning look, Tony repeated himself with more assertion. “Let. Her. Go. _Now.”_

Rogers dropped you instantly to the floor harshly this time and you scrubbed at your head to rub out some of the pain.

Tony rushed to your side to help you off the floor. He was _pissed_ at his crew. You were his princess and his most prized Stark Industries employee, well, besides Pepper.

Before you he could touch you, you slapped him across the face. And slapped him hard.

Everyone gasped and started encroaching on you, shocked by the audacity of you hitting their boss. But Tony spoke up with a now red cheek, still stunned you slapped him, “Yup…I deserved that.”

But you didn’t notice that the gorgeous tall drink of water with brown shoulder length hair was doing everything in his power to hold back a smirk. A proud smirk at that. Tony never let anyone willingly hit him like that. He thought, _she’s somethin’ alright._

You knew that was his version of an apology, so you curled yourself into his body as he held you close. Tony was family to you, and he spoiled you rotten. He protected you enough, but there was still a lot he had no clue about when it came to your father. After your mom left to live her life and abandoned you with one of the worst men on this planet, he was honestly the only good family you had left.

He cooed you and smoothed out your hair, pushing down your shoulders to calm you down. He tugged you into the crook of his arm. “Shame on all of you, you should know who my staff are, especially the one woman who keeps me out of trouble.”

The blonde guy with resting bitch face was the first to put the pieces together, his eyes brightening up. He spoke up, “Oh shit, sorry boss.” He turned to lock eyes with you, “Sorry Y/N. Just couldn’t tell with the—" He waved his hand in a circle around his face.

“I knew something was up,” the fiery redhead added quietly.

You completely forgot you still had your mask on. Your cheeks reddened at your embarrassment finally catching up. Not like they could see your blush anyway…

Tony spoke, very annoyed, “At least Barton got it.”

You pulled yourself out of Tony’s hold to gain a better grasp of the predicament you were in. You had no clue why Tony was at your father’s place. You knew your father did some business with Tony as they went way back, but it was apparent that your dad screwed the pooch on some deal to warrant Tony to barge in on their home this late on a Friday night with his large, and very intimidating crew following him.

As you stood, you turned around and brushed your hands down your robe and smoothed your hair on your head. You straightened your back and looked up at pretty boy. You wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face so badly. How dare he treat you like that.

“In any other circumstance, I’d let you manhandle me in a much _different_ way, but sadly, you put your hands on me without my permission so that won’t be happening for you.”

That brought out several coughs and low chuckles around the room. And even got a rise out of your father.

“Y/N!—”

You scowled in return, “Can it, dad. You have _no say_ right now.”

Your brashness shut him up real quick. He knew when you were pissed. And you were _beyond pissed_. In your very scary quiet way.

“Now…Tony…” As you turned to face your boss with determination, you finally took in the rest of the room and who all was there. The fierce redhead smirking, another built blonde man standing next to her with resting bitch face, a charmingly cute black muscular man with a wide smile and his arms crossed over his chest, a woman with burgundy red hair, a man with brunette hair and a dorky looking cute face, a slim, tall woman with blonde hair, and then… _well fuck._

Everyone looked at you, waiting for your response. They could see the recognition start to build in your eyes.

You stepped closer to the last man, and stuttered, “Y-you-you’re Bucky fucking Barnes. _Holy shit_ you’re Bucky Barnes! And you’re standing in my kitchen! EEEEEEEEE!” You started your happy dance right there in your pajamas, no fucks given.

You held nothing back, at this point you didn’t give a rat’s ass. You stepped up into his personal space with a mischievous smile and he looked at you with a challenging smirk. He didn’t protest as you advanced closer. “ _Good god,_ you’re so much hotter in person.” You ran your hands across his chest, mesmerized. “Wow, you’re so hot. I’ll make an exception for pretty boy so if you’re down for a threesome with him, let me know when. _Jesus.”_ You ran your hands up his sculpted pecs and neck, and into his long, shoulder length locks. Your fingers continued through his luscious brunette hair. “Your hair is _so_ soft, oh my god. I bet you love having your hair yanked. Huh? What I would do—”

Tony finally interrupted your tirade on Bucky, “Y/N! Seriously? I can’t have an orgy start when I’m doing business.”

“Oh, and must I not forget the stunning redhead over there.” You pointed directly at her and wound your index finger in a circle, signaling her curvaceous body. “Babe, if you ever need a face to sit on, let me know. I’m always down for tacos. And I bet yours is delicious.” You winked seductively at her and licked your lips.

The rest of the room, besides said redhead, choked on the air they breathed. None of them were expecting _that._

“I like her. Can we keep her Tony?” The fiery redhead spoke up confidently and smirked.

“Don’t start with me Romanoff.”

Tony’s tone was serious and authoritative. He meant business. And somehow the atmosphere in the room darkened.

You locked eyes with the hottest person on the planet, but your smile fell. Your breath hitched and you stiffened.

All the people in this room. Tony. Your dad. Finally realizing what was going on. Exactly _who_ was in your kitchen. All because of the person right in front of you. _Fuck fuck fuck._

You slowly stepped backwards from Bucky, each step hesitant, your face covered in fear.

Your breathing picked up and shortened, knowing you were so _fucked_.

You locked eyes with Tony, and you begged him for an answer. You asked timidly, your voice as small as it could be, “…Tony? P-Please tell me what I’m just now realizing isn’t true. _Please._ ”

Tony had the dignity to bow his head and released a defeated sigh.

You whispered out, “ _Please_ tell me you’re not in the mob. In Shield.”

Your dad finally decided to chime in at this brilliant moment and laughed maniacally. His laugh got louder with each breath. “Oh Y/N, he _runs_ the mob.”

He was cut off with you smacking him across the face, “SHUT UP! You probably caused all of this because you’re the spawn of Satan!”

You wheeled back around to Tony and just _seeing_ him right now made your blood boil. You stomped over to the cabinets where the stack of plates sat. You pulled all of them down and placed them on the island, where you could face Tony.

Tony’s crew looked at you quizzically. They had no clue where this was about to go.

You picked up the top plate and started to examine the plate like it was the most beautiful piece of art you’d ever seen. Running your hands over every inch of the surface before you started to speak again. You sharply glared at Tony, staring him down before you demanded an answer.

You surprised yourself with how calm and steady you sound. “Is that true Tony?”

Because he was a cocky son of a bitch, he responded, “Well, more like I _am_ the mob—”

This set you _off._ No more playing around. You let go the most blood curdling scream you could manage. “AHHHHHHHHHH! TONY you motherfucker!”

You grasped the plate in your hand tighter and chucked it at his head with all your might. He somehow dodged it and started to skirt around the kitchen. You grabbed the stack of plates in your hands and started to follow him around the island.

Pretty boy rushed to grab the next plate out of your hand, but Tony raised his hand and spoke up above your rage, “No one touch her. Just…just let her get this out of her system.”

Pretty boy stopped mid step and backed off, along with the others. They cleared a giant path for you, clinging to the walls of the room, wanting to not get in the middle of this scuffle.

You raged on and raised two plates above your head and waved them in the air, “Well this explains _so much!_ Tell me, how many of your fucking annoying scandals were related to mob business? Huh?! Have you implicated me in any sort of way in your illegal shit?! Wait, actually…I don’t want to know. Plausible deniability.” You threw both the plates at him again and they shattered against the wall right above his head.

Tony cringed at the near miss, “Princess, _please,_ I kept you out of it for a reason.”

The fiery redhead and the shoulder length brunette shared a look and raised their eyebrows at the pet name. They knew immediately that this Y/N must mean a whole lot to Tony Stark for him to call her princess.

Another plate smashed, but right at his feet, where he had to jump up so the ricocheting pieces wouldn’t stab him.

“See, that’s the thing! I am always kept out of the loop! Why does this keep happening to me?!” Your voice started to crack, “Why does no one trust me enough with the truth?”

You suddenly felt the energy waning, and quickly. And tears started to build in the back of your eyes. The last 10 minutes had all been too much. Too much information, too much of being kept in the dark. Too many secrets.

You felt your body begin to shake and your throat dry up. Your lips trembled and you gripped your hair tightly as you slinked against the wall and the plate in your hand crashed against the floor at your feet.

You started to sob right then and there. You curled your head between your knees as your body shook.

Tony was at your side in an instant and he pulled you into his lap as he rocked you back and forth to try to calm you down.

_No one_ had ever seen Tony Stark be this soft with anyone. Not even with Pepper. He had never been this affectionate with anyone, in public or in front of his mob family.

Tony spoke to you softly and reassured you with sweet nothings that everything would be alright. He kissed your temple and worked on smoothing down your hair and rubbing your back soothingly.

Once you were calm enough to start talking, you quietly asked Tony, “Will you please tell me what’s going on? Please Tony? I can’t take it anymore.”

Tony rubbed his thumb across your cheekbone. “Of course. Anything for you Princess.”

Pretty boy spoke up, “Boss…I don’t think you should do that.”

Tony clutched you tighter to his chest, “Jesus, you just can’t help yourself, can you Rogers?”

“Boss, he might have a point, she’s just a civilian—”

“You too Wilson? GOD can no one do their job?!”

You chimed in, “No, apparently not.”

“I’m surrounded by idiots.”

That got the first small laugh out of you and a half smile. You loved how Tony always took care of others, no matter the situation. He has the biggest, softest heart, but only for certain people.

And him quoting Disney just made you smile. Deep down, Tony was never above doing anything for those important to him. And you loved him for it.

The cute, dorky looking guy asked, “Yeah boss, I’m a little confused too. I didn’t follow any of that…what is going on?”

His innocent looking face made you softly chuckle, but his question was anything but innocent. You knew it was going to put Tony over the edge. He had no time for morons.

Tony couldn’t take his imbecilic crew speaking again. And luckily, he trusted them with his life. And yours. “She’s my goddaughter you nitwits!”

Everyone’s eyes in the room widened. No one realized Tony had any extended family.

The woman with burgundy red hair started clapping her hands excitedly, “Yay! I’ve always wanted a little sister!”

“This should be fun,” the fiery redhead smirked.

Pretty boy had the decency to look ashamed, “Sorry ma’am. I had no clue.” He blushed in embarrassment, as he rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.

You nodded at pretty boy. “Seems like you kept a pretty good secret Tony.” You kissed his cheek. “But you’re still telling me everything right this instant.”

Tony sighed, “So Princess, myself, along with many others, helped your dad win the governor’s race. Once your dad took office as governor of New York, he had to start fulfilling promises. I was first on the list for him. He was supposed to vote against making the jobs down at the docks unionized in the city. That is where I do a lot of my… _other business_. Your moronic dad decided to go back on his promise and unionized the jobs—”

“I had no choice! The democratic party was breathing down my neck!”

“Speak another word Obadiah and you’ll regret it,” resting bitch face spoke up.

You rolled your eyes at your dad’s pathetic attempt to redeem himself. But then the panic set in…he has to repay his debt to Tony in some fashion…Tony doesn’t let anyone cross him without punishment.

“Now Obadiah,” Tony paused as he pulled out a stack of very compromising photos of him with the mob and handed them to the fiery redhead. She threw each one down on the floor for Obadiah to clearly see. Each photo worse than the last. “You see, if you don’t pay your debt, these photos will somehow appear on every news outlet and your career will be over. You wouldn’t want the world to know you work with Shield, that Shield rigged the election for you, that you pass laws to help Shield continue their business, now would you?”

“You asshole!”

“You think you’re the only one with eyes everywhere?” Tony responded smugly.

“Tony?” You drew his attention back to you. “Wh-what does he owe you now?” You looked up at Tony, eyes glistening in fear it might have to do with you.

Tony held your head gently and shushed you, “Princess, no one is going to hurt you. You’re not in trouble. You’re family.” _How does he always know what you’re indirectly saying?_

You let out the breath you were holding in and closed your eyes in relief.

“But he does still owe a debt.”

Everyone rounded to look at Bucky, who finally spoke his first words of the night.

“Got any suggestions Barnes? Y/N being here tonight put a wrench in my plans.”

Your father didn’t ever know when to stop. “Wait! Wait! I’ve got it! Y/N can marry Barnes!”


	2. Chapter 2

“HELL NO!” Bucky yelled.

“DAD! You can’t sell me! This is 2020 for fucks sake!” You jumped out of Tony’s arms.

“I ain’t giving up my Victoria’s Secret model hook up for… _her_!”

“Well then I _definitely can’t_ marry you now, you’re a walking STD!” You belted into Bucky’s face.

“STOP!” Tony screamed above the madness.

Bucky and you went stock still.

“This might actually not be a bad idea,” Tony pensively said, as he stroked his chin and paced around the kitchen.

“Noooooo please don’t do this to me—"

“Y/N!” You flinched at his tone and shrunk back into yourself. Being yelled at was one thing you could not stand.

“You can’t seriously be considering this Stark,” Bucky pleaded.

“Hear me out you two.”

_No no no, this can NOT be happening. Tony can’t do this to you._

“Y/N here has a pristine record. She’s been a ghost to the public for the last 8 years. And her despicable father is the governor.”

“Oh shit,” fiery redhead gasped. “Tony, you’re a genius.”

“Jesus Nat, we talked about this! You can’t inflate his ego like that!” Resting bitch face complained.

“Why is Romanoff always the fastest to catch on?” Tony scoffed.

“Anyways, as I was saying, you 2,” Tony pointed between you and Bucky, “get hitched and we are fast tracked into the mayor’s office.” Tony smirked.

“Wait…that’s pretty smart.” Resting bitch face relented.

Bucky’s eyes perked up at the mention of the mayor’s office.

“This is the in we’ve been waiting for.” Bucky smiled deviously.

_Fuck this is really happening._

Your dad’s smiling because he got himself out of a pickle and he didn’t care that he’s selling his only daughter to the mob. To Shield no less.

The room suddenly became dizzy, your head feeling light, and the air in your throat dried out. Your heart rate picked up and your breathing got heavier and shorter. Your chest was tightening up more than usual. The ground felt like it was moving below your feet.

You tried reaching for the counter to steady yourself, but your feet slipped, and you crumpled to the floor. You were heaving on the floor, not knowing how you were going to survive this. Dying might be better than this at this point.

Over the haze of your anxiety, you barely heard your baneful father shout, “Fuck, you’ve triggered a panic attack Stark, nice going asshole! Good luck getting her to calm down.”

Your eyes were screwed shut as your forehead started to moisten with sweat. Your palms were clammed up and your body was shaking again.

You vaguely felt hands on your arms and around your back trying to calm you down, but the touch did anything but. You wrenched your arms away and tucked them against your chest.

You heard a womanly voice shush you and speak up above the rest, “Hey Y/N, you’re okay. My name is Wanda. Natasha and I got you. You’re safe. In this family, we take care of our own.”

Wanda took your hand and placed it above her heart. “Feel my heartbeat? I want you to match yours to mine. Nice and slow.” You took a few slow breaths and her calming voice was starting to bring you back to reality. “There you go Y/N, much better.” Wanda nodded her encouragement to you as your heart rate evened out.

Her presence was so tranquil, you thought you were beginning to float on clouds.

Another female voice spoke up softly and you finally opened your eyes at her velvety voice, “How are you feeling Y/N? My name’s Natasha, but my family calls me Nat.” She winked at you.

You swallowed before speaking, “Uh…you know, could be better.”

She nodded at you, as Wanda began to sit you up slowly and started to rub your back gently.

“Was that about marrying Barnes? Because he really ain’t that bad of a guy.” She smirked at you, trying to lighten the mood.

Her attempt didn’t do anything for you. You said flatly, “Yes and no.”

Bucky stiffened at your confession. He didn’t want this either, but you looked like the notion caused you physical pain.

Natasha eyed you cautiously but also expectantly. You knew she wanted you to elaborate. You had to be strategic about your answer. They are _always_ watching.

You cleared your throat, “All I’m saying, is if you force me to marry Bucky…there…th-there will be consequences.” A tear fell down your cheek as your lip started to tremble again.

Natasha could read between the lines. She tried to reassure you, “We can protect you—”

“Not from this you can’t.” More tears leaked from your bloodshot eyes.

Natasha could see the helplessness deep in your eyes, how you feared of something so vicious it could shake you to your core.

“I promise, on my life, that no one will harm you.”

You wiped your nose of the snot that was dripping out, you were a disgusting mess. “I’m not gonna let you risk yourself for someone you don’t even know.”

“You’re family. You’re worth every risk.” Wanda added.

You exhaled deeply. You couldn’t meet any of their eyes. You were terrified of their reactions, “Would that risk include fighting off—"

“Don’t you dare say another word Y/N,” your father threatened.

Tony stepped in between Obadiah and you, wanting to protect his princess. He nodded to one of his men to step into action.

Resting bitch face yanked your dad’s head back and held his hands behind his back.

Tony bent down to his eye level and gave him sinister glare. “I’m going to give you one chance to come clean. What is Y/N talking about?”

Your dad went silent. You knew there was no way he was going to reveal who he was involved with. Even if it caused you harm.

“You’ve left me no choice. Wilson?” Tony held out his hand, palm up, like he was waiting for something.

The man named Wilson walks up to Tony with a thick, long, sharp machete looking knife and placed it in his hand.

Resting bitch face moved one of your dad’s hands out from behind his back and placed it palm down on the island. Tony spread his fingers wide and held down his hand. With the other, he raised the knife above his head and started to bring down the knife when your dad finally spoke up.

“Wait! Stop! How would I explain a missing finger to the press?!”

“Not my problem,” Tony rebutted. Then continued to lower the knife.

“I might have gotten involved with Hydra…” Obadiah spat out.

Tony gripped the knife even harder and slammed it down along his ring finger on his right hand. Blood spurted out from where the finger was now missing and your dad started screaming in pain. The sight of blood made you want to vomit.

You crumpled further into Wanda’s arms, letting the build up of tears flow freely. You were so _fucked_ now.

“Well you’ve done it now dad,” you choked out.

Pretty boy replied, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Are you a fucking moron or something? The house is completely bugged. Cameras everywhere. Hydra is probably already on their way here to end that snitch.”

“Shit, then we need to go, _now._ Lang and Carter, get the car running and weapons ready. Romanoff and Maximoff, protect Y/N and get her to the car. Barton, you’re our eyes. Barnes, Rogers, and Wilson, you know what to do.”

The team seemingly went into action immediately and was darting around you with urgency.

Wanda and Nat started to usher you toward the front door, but all the orders Tony barked out were freaking you out. “…Tony?” You asked apprehensively.

Tony walked over to you and held your face in his hands. “Princess, if what you say is true, we need to move now. I’ll leave your dad for the wolves to eat. But you’re with us now. And we will finish that conversation about Barnes later, alright?” He finished it with placing a kiss on your forehead.

You knew your dad wasn’t going to make it out of the house alive tonight. Hydra didn’t allow for loose ends. And somehow, you were okay with that. He had it coming.

He went to leave but you grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. “Please don’t let them take me again.” You beseeched.

Tony winced at you saying _again._ He didn’t miss that. He hides his anger with determination, “Not on my watch Princess.”

With that, the four of you left the mansion for the last time, with your father withering on the floor, awaiting his demise.

********

You had barely made it out of the mansion before Hydra pulled up. There was maybe a five-minute gap between when Tony and Shield escaped with you and Hydra arrived.

On the race back to Tony’s tower in the city, the van was filled with arguments on strategy. You were left in the corner, shaking like a leaf, worried if you were going to make it through the night too.

The black man, who you learned was named Sam Wilson, came over to you and surprisingly calmed you down.

He offered you a Xanax to aid you with your racing mind and nerves. He pointed out each person in the van and informally introduced you. He gave you a quick synopsis of each person and what they were like. Somehow, his comforting nature already made you feel like part of the team.

He then started to distract you from your what-if thoughts and divulged some crazy antics he had gotten himself into. You were giggling softly and already feeling like the heavy weight on your chest was being lifted, even if only slightly. And for some reason, you felt yourself feeling safe enough to reveal some funny stories about all the stuff you and Tony did together. Stories on pranks, adventures, breaking the law, getting out of trouble from breaking the law, and how he cares for you like his own daughter.

Sam was waiting on bated breath with each story to hear insights into his boss. He was captivated by every word, trying to find some sort of leverage to hold over Tony.

You could see it in his eyes, the mischief building up, hoping to use this newfound information to get revenge somehow. His sly smile had you laughing once more. You didn’t give him all the juicy details, because Tony was your family, your protector. You couldn’t betray him like that. Some things with Tony you would take to the grave.

You spent a bit more time getting to know Sam, how long he’s been in Shield, what his relationship was to everyone. He seemed like the goofy one out of the bunch, the sassy one who kept everyone on their toes, the realistic one who doubted everything, and the one who always tried too hard to fit in, but it was always endearing. You could tell through his stories how much he cared for everyone in Shield. You were beginning to see how much of a family it really was, and how he would go down with the ship if needed. Loyal to a fault. You liked that.

Sam was a good egg, you liked him. You wanted to be friends with him now.

20 minutes later you were nodding off with a blanket wrapped around you and a pillow placed behind your head. You were feeling relaxed, warm, and safe. Maybe you were going to live through the night after all.

The last thing you heard Sam say before you passed out was, “Get some rest pumpkin, you’re safe now.”

********

You woke up the next morning feeling fatigued but well rested. Your eyes slowly opened to the bright sunlight streaming from the open slits of the curtains. You turned your head to the nightstand and saw the time.

_10:36am_

Damn, this was really sleeping in for you. Usually your body wouldn’t let you sleep past 8am. You obviously needed the sleep.

You spent the next ten minutes slowly waking up, stretching your body from head to toe, becoming more aware of your surroundings. That’s when you really noticed where you were.

The California King size bed, the plush pillows, the smooth, silky sheets beneath your body, the modern furniture design. You were comfortable in Tony’s tower and you didn’t want to leave. You were content staying in that bedroom forever.

But the decadent smell of bacon, syrupy pancakes, and coffee were what got you out of bed.

You rushed to the bathroom to make yourself a bit more presentable. You noticed your face mask was completely gone, someone must have cleaned your face before they put you to bed. Your hair was a ratty mess, so you just pulled it up into a high bun, slipped on your robe and slippers, and made your way to the kitchen.

When you arrived, the busy chatter abruptly stopped, and every pair of eyes were locked on you. You hated people staring at you, so you blushed and then found the floor very interesting to examine.

But their silence allowed you to hear the news anchor speaking from the TV, and speaking of none other than your father. Your father in a breaking news story, typical.

However, this was a headline you’ve never seen before.

_NY Governor Obadiah Stane Found Dead_

You inched closer and closer to the TV, taking in the women’s words and seeing the executive mansion you were in less than 12 hours ago, ablaze with a fire surpassing a hundred feet high. And with your father inside.

“ _New York Governor Obadiah Stane was found dead last night in his home. Reports say that The New York State Executive Mansion caught fire late last night due a gas leak and Governor Stane’s remains were found in his bedroom, among what remains of the burnt down home. There were no other individuals within the Executive Mansion when it caught fire.”_

They showed gruesome pictures of his remains and you couldn’t peel your eyes away. _You were right._

His dealings with Hydra finally caught up to him.

_“The Lieutenant Governor of New York will take late Governor Stane’s position starting tomorrow and until the next election. No arrangements for his funeral have been made yet.”_

_“Governor Stane has made a lasting legacy of his public service in the state of New York for the last 15 years. Our deepest condolences go out to the Stane family at this time.”_

_“Please stay tuned for more details and updates after this break.”_

You didn’t realize you were holding your breath until you felt hands squeeze your shoulders.

“Hey Princess, you alright?” Tony treaded lightly.

You turned to him and he saw you trying to blink back tears. He pulled you into a tight embrace, and you clutched onto his back like your life depended on it. You let the tears fall onto his shoulder, as he rubbed your back.

He whispered into your ear, “I’m sorry about your dad princess…I hated him but not _that_ much.”

You let out a quiet sob at that. Tony mistook your tears as grief for your father. _Oh, how wrong was he._

You gripped his shirt even harder, your knuckles turning white. You spoke softly into his shoulder, “Please don’t let them kill me too. _Please.”_

Tony pulled away, a little puzzled that was the first thing you said. He knew your relationship with Stane was rocky, but he didn’t know everything that’s happened. He’s been a shitty godfather, not checking up on you enough, before you came to work for him. He should have done better once your mom left.

“They’ll have to go through me first to get to you Princess.” He held your head gently in his hands.

“And all of us too.” Pretty boy, or Steve as you learned, spoke up. He reassured you. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

You stepped away form Tony and began to pace the length of the couch. You wiped away your tears as your breathing slowed down enough to talk. You knew the tower was secure enough that you could speak freely. “You realize they’re going to come for me now, right?”

Natasha walked up closer to you but kept her distance. “How much do you know?”

“Too much…”

Everyone in the room held their breath. Not even Tony expected that. He didn’t even know you knew Hydra existed.

“Pumpkin, what exactly does that mean?” Sam broke the silence. As much as you liked his new nickname for you, you couldn’t shake the tenuous moment right now.

You looked up and saw equal amounts of curiosity, anger, and caution in all their eyes. You walked over to the couch and plopped down, holding your head in your hands.

Wanda quickly made her way over and sat close to you as she stroked your back gently. You exhaled out a shaky breath.

You heard Tony before you saw him, “Princess, you need to be straight with me. Did Hydra ever harm you? Ever lay a hand on you?”

Tony was kneeled in front of you, at eye level. He was seething. When Tony got mad, he actually was _very_ scary.

You relented and nodded. The tears started flowing again, you couldn’t help it. The memories too painful. “I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I didn’t know what to do.” Your body was wracking with sobs now.

All Tony could do without wanting to kill something was hold you while you cried. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He hated seeing his Princess cry.

Steve looked around to Barnes and Nat. Knowing Hydra was involved with a political family made them that much more dangerous. Maybe they had underestimated Hydra’s reach.

“Y/N…I need to know every detail. Every person you met or interacted with. This is for your safety so we can protect you. And so I can go kill every fucker who has ever laid a pinky on you.”

You shuddered. This asshole was trying to make you relive your trauma. _Hell no._ You do that every night in your sleep.

You shook your head, you were _not_ getting into this with everyone here.

“No way Tony.”

“Please Y/N, your safety is important to us. We can’t protect you if we don’t know who’s a threat.” Wanda added softly. You really liked her. She was so nurturing, something you’ve always needed from a friend.

She squeezed your waist, nudging you to reveal your deepest, darkest secret.

You gave in and sighed, “I'll give you one name...Alexander Pierce.”

“Excuse me? Like the director of the FBI Alexander Pierce?!” Barnes shouted at your response and you flinched at his volume. Why does everyone have to yell?!

His immediate and reactionary response told you that he was in shock, and didn’t expect your answer.

You turned to him, red puffy eyes and all with tear streaks down your face, “Wait…you didn’t know? That he’s the head of Hydra?”

Tony pulled away from you and yanked out his phone. He was now yelling at someone on the phone named Fury. This seemed to be news to Tony as well.

Steve, Nat, Bucky, and Sam all yelled at once, eyes wide, “NO!”

You smiled for the first time today. At least you got one victory. And you will hold it over Tony for the rest of his life.

Clint spoke up, enraged at your lack of seriousness of the situation, “You think this is funny Y/N?! Having the head of the FBI coming after you?”

You rolled your eyes at him, “Well, not that part obviously.” You turned your head to the ceiling and raised our voice. “F.R.I.D.A.Y. Please put it on record that today, I knew something that Tony didn’t. That I’m smarter than him. And don’t ever let him make you erase the evidence.”

The female monotone robotic voice rang out, “Of course Miss Y/N. Saved, duplicated, and archived.”

“Did I tell you you’re the best F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“Constantly, but it’s always lovely to hear.”

You gave the whole room a Cheshire cat grin, happy with your small victory.

“You really are his goddaughter,” Nat smirked at you.

You smiled smugly at her and then addressed everyone, “Well, if we’re done here, I’m hungry for some grub!”

********

“This is Rumlow.”

He answered his phone.

“Boss, I’ve got bad news.”

“What is it agent? I’m kinda busy at the moment. Dealing with a dead governor and all.”

“Stark has her. And...he knows.”

He groaned. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“Unfortunately, no. She leaked _his_ name.”

“God damn it! He’s gonna be pissed.”

“I know…”

“He’s gonna want her six feet under.”

“To say the least.”

“Keep a low profile, eyes and ears to the ground. Understood?”

“Yes sir.”

“Keep me posted, we’ll be in touch.” And the call ended abruptly.

********

After you scarfed down breakfast and were able to cool down a bit, you were lounging in the common area with a Bravo reality show on in the background when the entire crew joined you.

Everyone kept their distance from you, and honestly you were grateful. You were a bucket of emotions and didn’t know how to process them at all.

You made eye contact with Tony and knew shit was about to get real.

“Princess, as your godfather and now legal guardian, I am going to protect you until the day I die. You are everything to me and I am going to do much better than I have in the past. I’m here and I’m never leaving you. I promise you, Y/N.

You felt the emotion deep down. You knew he’s felt guilty for how he was absent in your life when you were younger and hence why he’s been better the past few years. He’s been more of a father than your real dad ever was.

“With that said, Hydra will take advantage of you being alone without your dad’s protection and come after you since you said you know too much. We _all_ are going to protect you. But there will be some precautions that we have to take to ensure your safety, because that’s the only thing that matters to me. I love you Princess.”

You felt tears building up again. He was really hitting you in the feels. He knew exactly what to say to make you feel the warm and fuzzies.

You moved from your spot on the couch and walked over to Tony and sat down on his lap. You wrapped your arms around his neck and whispered just so he could hear, “Thank you. I love you too Tony.”

He kissed your forehead as he held you.

With a minute of just sitting there and no one wanting to speak after that emotional speech, Steve said, “I am sorry about your dad Y/N. We all are.” He did look sympathetic. You’ll give him that. It’s the eyes, those deep ocean blue eyes that can see right through your soul.

“I’m not,” you replied unashamed. “He was an asshole and that was the least he deserved.”

“Not even a little pumpkin? Losing a parent so young—”

“Don’t patronize me Sam. If you knew what he did to me or what he made me do, you’d want to kill him too.” You added sharply.

Tony met your eyes, looking at you expectantly. You knew you’d have to tell him one day. He gets pushy and nosy over those he's protective of.

Scott obliviously asked, “What did he make you—”

“No.” You gave him your best death glare. He moved to hide behind Steve. _Sissy._

“Enough! Boys, back off Y/N. We have some serious business to discuss.”

You groaned audibly. You were annoyed. But Nat was right, you needed to figure out your next step was going to be. But you knew deep down what you were going to do. You knew this choice was equally as endangering as it was your safest option. How ironic. But you wanted to live, to survive. You’ve made it this far, so what the hell.

You wanted the life you were never able to live, you wanted peace, and you wanted happiness. It might take you a while to get there, and few more of grisly encounters, but you decided you were going to fight.

Fight for your life.

You were finally free of your father and now you wanted to take things into your own hands. You owed yourself that much. You’ve earned a happy ending after everything you’ve been through.

Better to get this over with sooner than later.

You clapped your hands and stood to attention. You moved to stand in front of the TV, muted it, and then faced the room.

You made eye contact with everyone and noticed how you had their full attention. You felt powerful, like you were taking charge of your destiny for once, instead of others making those decisions for you.

You cleared your throat, steadying your voice. “Listen up hooligans, this is how it’s gonna go down. Bucky will have the distinct honor and privilege to marry me. I will act as the picture-perfect girlfriend/fiancé/wife, and I will help you get into the Mayor’s office with all my connections. Marrying me will most likely win you the sympathy vote anyways because of my dad.”

You took a pregnant pause before starting again, “However. I have stipulations. And they MUST be followed. Number 1: Tony, I want a 300% increase in my raise. And I want complete access to your credit card, your black card with no limit.”

“Done.” Tony agreed easily with a pleasing smile.

“And you’re opening up a trust fund for me. Because I know Obadiah didn't leave me shit.”

“Also already done. Did that when you were born. But I’ll add more.” Tony winked with a lopsided smile. He loves taking care of you.

You blew him a kiss but then got back on track.

“Number 2: As much as I don’t like this one, someone must accompany me anywhere I go. I’m an accident waiting to happen and can’t defend myself for shit so at least one of you beefy boys or terrifying ladies will be with me.”

“That sounds like fun!” Scott smiled widely at you. He’s such a dork and you loved him already for it.

“Number 3,” You turned to Bucky and waited until he met your eye. You were going to speak directly to him.

“You will _not_ touch me without my permission. You will _not_ kiss me without my permission. You will NEVER sleep with me. I will allow you to fuck whoever you want, but behind closed doors. But if you get caught with any of those thots, you will deny any and all allegations and break it off immediately. You will be my doting boyfriend/fiancé/husband to ensure we uphold the picture-perfect family image. I will not allow you to tarnish my reputation and make a fool out of me.”

Your voice was twice as loud by the end and you started to stalk over to his spot on the love seat. You roughly slapped your hands down on his thighs and bent over so you two were at eye level.

“You will _not_ have any say in my private life. And if you fall in love with me, _un_ -fall in love with me. I am doing this so I can survive and live another day. You’re a means to an end.”

You continued without missing a beat, “If you so much as deviate even a millimeter from these rules, I will divorce your sorry ass and take _all_ of your money. You will have nothing after I’m finished with you. Then I will find you. I will castrate you, skin you alive, slice your body up with thousands of little cuts all over and then drench you in alcohol. I will finish you off by lighting you on fire and you will burn to death. While I watch.”

You saw him visibly gulp and his breath hitch. You don’t think any woman has ever spoken to or threatened him like that before. His fear was evident. And that’s exactly what you wanted to accomplish.

You violated his personal space and leaned up to his ear, your tongue whisking over the edge of his ear and you whisper, “Do I. Make. Myself. Clear?”

When you leaned back with your hands still on his thighs, you raised your eyebrows waiting for his answer. He nodded earnestly.

“Say it.” You angrily demanded.

“Yes ma’am. I understand.”

"That's my goddaugther! I'm so proud." Tony fake happy cried. 

In an instant, you were bright and bouncy, with an easy wide smile on your face. “Great! Well that was easy. Did you get all that F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“Yes Miss Y/N, you’re all set.”

“You’re the best Fri!”

“You’re lucky I like you the most Miss Y/N because I do not like that nickname.”

“Hey! Your boss can hear you, you know!” Tony complained.

“Love you!” You called as you started moving towards the kitchen.

“Deal with it boss, you know she’s the best.”

While you were cleaning up the kitchen, the crew came to their senses.

“Holy fuck, I don’t know if I’m terrified or turned on.” Clint revealed.

“Definitely both.”

Bucky didn’t want to agree with Steve, but he was feeling both. He was breathing heavily and shaking in his seat over what just happened.

“I’m definitely hard. That was so fucking hot.” Wilson said shamelessly.

“Ew!” Tony covered his ears. “La la la, I don’t want to hear this about my goddaughter!” He stormed out of the room and to the lab.

Natasha smirked, she was proud and so hot for you right now. She wanted to test the waters with you. “I wonder if she’s in the mood for tacos right now?”

The boys were drooling, it was comical. “Ohhhh Y/N?” She called out innocently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think :) sending virtual hugs all around!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of Obadiah's funeral
> 
> TW: small domestic violence scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH! Finally an update! So sorry for the delay...was a really hard summer after I lost my job due to COVID and had some family issues...and then moving home. But thank you all for your patience and your comments! It makes me so happy you all are invested in this story, I have so many crazy, dramatic ideas for this wild journey. I hope you're ready! 
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter...a lot happens and starts to develop. The second part should be up soon.

It was finally the morning of Obadiah’s funeral and everyone was on high alert. Tony was a nervous wreck, which has made everyone that much more on edge.

So much was on the line for him and his goddaughter at this funeral, and he couldn’t afford any errors, of any types. The things that Tony had been fretting about this week include:

  * Bringing you back into the public eye after eight silent and peaceful years. (Because you’ve been using your mother’s maiden name and not your fathers, you’ve kept your identify secret while working for Tony). This alone will cause an uproar and the public will want answers for your disappearance and sudden reappearance.
  * Exposing your relationship with Barnes for the first time and then having to deal with the media frenzy that will follow.
  * The strong possibility of Pierce showing up and exposing Tony’s and Shield’s connection to you.



Not only has Tony been anxious, but you’ve been jittery and tense every waking moment leading up to today. Even your dreams have turned into nightmares. You’ve barely slept in the last five days and you’ve been a walking zombie, not entirely here or there at any moment.

Your nerves were fried, and you were too scared to leave the tower for any reason. Too paranoid about being followed and Hydra and Pierce coming after you to take your life, just like they did to your father. You’ve been jumping at any sudden noise or movement, your hands were usually shaking, your eyes were sunken in with the lack of sleep, bags were forming under your eyes, and you looked pale. Paler than everyone has ever seen you and the team couldn’t say they weren’t frightened for your well-being.

A couple of days before the funeral, things took a turn when you fainted for the first time. Luckily, Sam and Steve were standing in the kitchen when your ceramic mug slipped from your fingers and it shattered on the floor before you toppled over unexpectedly. With his quick reflexes, Steve was able to catch you at the last second before your head smashed against the wooden floor. He cradled your head and held you at your waist as he lowered you to your floor.

Sam grabbed a pillow from the couch and rushed to your side as he lightly padded your cheeks in hopes to wake you up. He checked your pulse and breathed a sigh of relief knowing you were still with them.

When F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed him of your state, Tony dropped everything in the lab and ran. Tony’s loud screech woke everyone else up in the tower as he saw you laying on the floor unmoving. He approached you and he pushed Sam out of the way, to Sam’s resistance, and comforted your weak and fatigued form. Your eyes slowly peeled open as you felt Tony’s hands brush your hair out of your face and behind your ears.

Seeing the worry in Tony’s eyes crushed you and you cracked. The tears started to trickle down your cheeks as everything caught up to you. Steve then pulled you to is chest and held you close as you wept. He worked on giving you positive affirmations like ‘You’re okay, I got you’ and ‘You’re safe’ to try to calm you down. He also got you to keep your breathing slow but seeing your eyes blown out in fear, not really understanding where you were or what happened, concerned Steve and Tony greatly.

Everyone in the tower could hear your pained sobs as they bounced between the walls. By this point, you had garnered a crowd, where everyone on the team was scattered in the kitchen, worry clearly etched on their faces, looking at the three of you huddled on the floor.

Bucky was the last to enter the kitchen, having been alarmed by the chaos brewing in the kitchen, and his running came to a shrieking halt when he saw you on the floor with Steve and Tony. His eyebrows furrowed and an anguished frown marred his face. His heart didn’t understand why he was feeling this pain when he saw you in tears, why he wanted to rush to your side and comfort you, or why he just wanted to replace Steve and hold you.

You had been so strong and stoic all week, not showing any emotion regarding your father’s death or the upcoming funeral. You were even chipper and upbeat at times, which really confused him because after the bomb you dropped on them about Pierce being the head of Hydra, he would have thought you would have been more scared for your safety.

This was the first crack in your charade that Bucky saw. And it pained him to see the evident fear and pain bubble over. You seemed so strong, like you could conquer the world, and to be honest, he knew you could and that absolutely frightened him.

You came off as tough as nails, confident, powerful, and so assure of yourself, and with the situation you were dealt, your usual persona made it difficult for him to comprehend how you were breaking right before his eyes.

It just went to show that he barely knew you or the demons that followed you. There was no doubt that there was something that you or Tony were hiding from the team. He could tell there were points in your story that didn’t add up and he desperately wanted to know what those blind spots were, even if mainly for his own selfish reasons.

Even though he admired your obvious strength, he knew you were going to be a handful by the way you’ve been treating him. You haven’t allowed him to interact with you directly, but he’s been in the room when you’re around. You wouldn’t even acknowledge him if he was in the same room as you. You would just ignore his presence and talk with anyone but him.

He thought it was completely unfair. You haven’t even given him a chance and he’s felt like he’s already lost and at a disadvantage, and he’s never not in a position of power.

You made him feel like he was always one step behind, like he wasn’t included with anything you were involved in, or like he didn’t belong with you. He didn’t want to be married to you by any means either, but he was going to try to be civil and be pleasant with you.

He wanted the mayor’s office more than anything in the world. It would lead to boundless opportunities for him and for Shield, and he was going to do whatever it took to get there. And like you said, he was a means to an end for you and he was going to treat you the same.

But this entire week, it didn’t seem like you would ever entertain that idea. After his limited interactions with you, he was pissed that you weren’t going to give him the time of day because he could tell you had a heart of gold. You treated everyone else with every ounce of kindness and compassion, except him. And it was getting under his skin.

You and Sam were as thick as thieves already and were joking around like you’d known each other for a lifetime. You were beyond flirty with Nat and he’s pretty sure that you two had hooked up already. Wanda was that hovering big sister and you seemed to gravitate towards it like water in a desert. You had turned a major corner with Steve, and you clung to him like a sloth clung to a cecropia tree. He seemed to provide you a sense of security for whatever reason and you were the calmest around Steve.

Scott and Clint were always in the kitchen when you were baking, talking your ear off, trying to learn more about you and get some beef on Tony. But they were mostly there for the taste testing.

You were a good cook but an even better baker. Bucky could attest to both, and he knew if he wasn’t careful, you’d be responsible for a few cavities. And with all the time spent in the kitchen, he could tell cooking and baking were possibly a coping mechanism or a safe haven for you. You were your silly, goofy, confident self when you were at the stove or mixing something, your smile brightening up the entire tower.

Bucky couldn’t not smile when you were cooking or baking because you constantly had music blasting and were dancing like you had no cares in the world. Seeing you that relaxed made his heart melt just a tiny bit more. He was entranced by you and wasn’t ashamed.

But that was something he couldn’t tell anyone. He could feel _something_ start to stir within himself and it terrified him. He had to stay focused on the endgame, on what mattered most. You were just a steppingstone. He snapped those warm and fuzzy emotions away and steeled himself to keep the hard mob façade in place in front of everyone. He couldn’t have anyone know he had any weak spots.

So, when Bucky saw you begin to calm down, and Tony ordered Steve to get you away from the prying eyes and hovering bodies, he felt relieved you were alright but frustrated that he wasn't there helping you.

Being in Steve’s beefy arms wasn’t the worst thing for you. If you hadn’t gotten to know Steve a little more over the past week, you might have been revolted by his touch, but Steve’s gentle hold on your body was the most soothing thing you’ve felt in a while. He’s the biggest sweetheart under the tough exterior, you just had to work a little bit to peel back those layers. If your suspicions were correct, he had developed a small soft spot for you.

Steve was always smiling more when he was around you and he seemed to be lending you a tender touch whenever he was in arms reach. Every time he touched you now, it made you swoon just a little bit more. You felt safe, protected, and cared for whenever you were in his presence. Every touch now made you internally giggle because his touch that first night was anything but comforting.

Without a doubt, you absolutely preferred this soft Steve over anything. It was a most welcomed changed in your life. Having a man look after you the way Steve did, it made your heart beat a little bit faster.

Your curled further into his chest and that’s where you felt safe, like nothing could hurt you. When you calmed down enough, Steve started moving and he took you with him.

Steve picked you up bridal style and carried you to your room. He tucked you in under your blankets, one being a weight blanket, but he was thrown off by your insistence for him to stay.

You begged him to stay, and the desperation in your eyes broke his heart. Whatever was going on in your mind was silently tormenting you. So he asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to turn off the lights and he gathered you up in his arms. The last thing you heard before you faded into sleep was him saying ‘You’re safe with me Y/N. I won’t ever let anything hurt you.’ Then he placed the softest kiss on your temple before you were passed out in his arms.

On the other side of your bedroom door, Bucky was seething. When Steve didn’t come back out, he knew he was in bed with you. Steve wasn’t ever going to pass up any private time with a dame.

Bucky wanted to be the one with you, holding you close to his chest as he helped sooth away all your worries…wait… _what was he talking about?!_

_He hated you!_

He _didn’t_ want to be in bed, curled up together, nice and warm, holding each other tightly. So he reluctantly stomped away to his room, where he punched his pillows harshly for the next five minutes.

Things changed after the first time you fainted. Everyone hovered around you, trying to be sympathetic and protective. It was suffocating at the same time reassuring. You were never alone which helped you feel secure and safe, but you also felt like you couldn’t breathe at times. You wanted alone time to sob, without judgmental eyes looming over you. You wanted your moment to break down and completely freak out about how you may not be on this earth for that much longer.

And Bucky just could never leave you alone. His presence lingering in the corner of the shadows made you want to pull your hair out at moments, and it made your disdain for Bucky that much stronger, and so you continued to ignore him. 

The second time you fainted was the night before the funeral and Bucky was with you. But so was Nat. Bucky tried to jump into action, but Nat scolded him with a death glare. He backed off immediately because Nat was not someone you wanted to cross. She got F.R.I.D.A.Y. to call Wanda down to assist you and once again, Bucky was left in the dust as you skirted away with the girls to your room.

He was so anxious to see if you were okay, so he paced outside your room and waited for an update. When only Wanda exited, she gave him a sympathetic look and just explained how you wanted to be alone, which secretly meant you wanted to be alone with Nat.

When Wanda took her leave, she left the door open a crack and what he heard next made his dick twitch in his jeans. He heard your groans and moans of pleasure and he couldn’t resist peeking behind the door.

He poked his head into your room and what he saw next was something that could feed his imagination for the rest of time. He saw you two naked, laying on the bed; Nat was on top of you with her fingers knuckle deep inside your pussy with your legs spread wide as Nat kissed you up and down your neck. You begged for more, for it to be harder and faster, while your nails were scratching down her back and leaving red marks as Nat pumped her fingers faster into your wet, slippery walls. The slapping sound of her hand slamming into your pussy and your wanton moans reached Bucky’s ears, making him that much hornier. And harder.

His view was torn away from him as Clint pulled him from the door and smacked him above the head and reprimanded Bucky for being a creep and not giving them space and alone time. That he was interrupting your business.

Bucky forced himself to be apologetic but underneath it, he definitely wasn’t. He wanted to be the one making you feel better…. _fuck no he didn’t!_ He has _got_ to get those thoughts out of his head. _Now._

Maybe a cold shower would help…

********

Neither Y/N or Bucky could sleep much that night. Nobody on the team could sleep well for that matter.

Tony was tinkering away in the lab. Steve went over all the logistics, blueprints of the venue, and details with Clint regarding the day for the 50th time. Nat was kept up by your nightmares and anxious sleep, Wanda was sick with worry for you, Sam and Sharon had triple and quadruple checked all the weapons and safety measures they were taking the next day, Scott had drank too much caffeine too late so he was just…up. And Bucky? Bucky paced a majority of the night, fighting his conflicting emotions.

His soft spot had grown a little bit more for you after you showed some vulnerability this week. Whatever Pierce or Hydra did to you had scarred you for life and he could see how terrified you were behind your strong façade.

He’s learned that you hide your true emotions through laughter. And you masked it expertly.

You laughed things off when you were uncomfortable, when you were scared, when you didn't know how to respond or didn't know what to do. Laughed and smiled through it. That’s how you coped. He could see the others were falling for it, but not him.

And he also saw the puffy, red, bloodshot eyes from all the crying, and your tense muscles not allowing you to relax. The façade was wearing you down and you were tearing at the seams. And it was the wrong time for you to be breaking character. He needed to make sure you were on board and were going to pull your shit together for the day, because his future depended on it. And he _hated_ how much leverage you had over him with this political move.

But as much as you were just a puzzle piece to the mayoral office, he didn’t wish you any harm. And it seemed like the funeral was bringing more harm than he expected. Even if he couldn’t understand what kind of harm you were frightened of confronting.

You had explained that more than likely Pierce, or someone high up in Hydra, would show up. And since your dad worked professionally with the FBI, Pierce would show his face. _Out of professional curtesy_ , you had said. But what that really meant was that they were checking up on you and would send you a cryptic, intimidating message of some sort. They do that sort of thing often. That part you would _not_ be looking forward to.

So, Bucky thought maybe it was your fear of seeing him in person? That was his best guess right now.

That following morning, when they were already way past being fashionably late, he stormed into your room and barreled down the door to see what the hold up was.

What he saw made him see red.

You were still curled up under the blankets in bed and appeared to be butt naked, with two of your limbs still sticking out from under the covers.

He heard the stream of water hitting the tile in the bathroom and knew Nat gave him the perfect opportunity alone with you.

He stomped over to the bed and ripped off the blankets harshly. That immediately woke up as the cold air traveled over your body and you sat up in bed against the headboard.

Bucky wasn’t phased by your naked body, and he definitely gave you a once over, checking every curve. He wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to check out a naked woman in bed. From his quick, first glance of you, he knew you were beautiful but he wasn’t able to fully process that information as his anger and frustration blinded him, creating a fog around his brain. That fog prevented any and all thoughts that weren’t about his future in the mayor’s office to be abolished at first thought.

He didn’t show any emotion when his eyes spotted the multiple scars, scattered across your front. He had guessed you were this perfect angelic woman with no flaws but here they were, displayed in full, right in front of him. It made you more human, knowing you weren’t this picture-perfect image you tried you convey.

But he also thought that maybe you deserved them. You’d been a fucking brat to him all week and it was reassuring to him knowing that you had suffered, at least at one point in your life. And in his angry state of mind, he wanted to cause you further pain. He was tired of taking your shit and this was where he was drawing the line. _Enough was enough._

In your panicked state, you scanned the room for any potential danger and clutched the pocketknife hidden under your pillow in a death grip. Your eyes were filled with terror until they landed on Bucky, and that’s when the look in your eyes shifted from fear to anger and hatred.

His raised, fuming voice didn’t deter you as he screamed down at you.

“Why the _fuck_ aren’t you dressed and ready?! We are over an hour late! How are we going to explain this?!”

You made sure to match him in this now apparent screaming match.

“ _What the hell?!_ GET OUT BUCKY! GET! OUT!” You had no energy to say anything else or to justify any other response. He had no right to barge into your room like this and treat you with such disrespect.

You abruptly jumped out of bed and stood at the side – not realizing you were still naked – and stood defensively, ready to attack if he made any such move on you.

“NO! Not until you start getting dressed! This is our first public appearance, every little detail needs to be perfect, and you know that! You’ve been planning it _all week_ —”

Bucky quickly ducked as the bedside lamp came hurdling at his head. He easily dodged the medium sized lamp as it flew by his head, nearly missing him, and the glass then loudly shattered against the wall.

Bucky didn’t think you could make him madder, but you did. He is _Bucky Barnes_ , for Christ’s sake, how dare you threaten him?! No one crossed him like that without consequences.

He lurched forward with a renewed vengeance. He was on a war path now, and he wasn’t going to stop short of showing you who was really in charge in this arranged relationship. Your rules be damned.

Bucky roared as he cornered you, “You just don’t know when to back down do you? Well then I’m just gonna have to put you in your place then, you _fucking cunt._ ”

He swiftly grabbed your shoulders and lifted you off the ground like you weighed nothing. He slammed you against the wall, several inches above the floor, pinning you there and using his body to cage you in. As you realized you were being held in the air by your throat, you started to kick your legs as violently as possible, hoping to get Bucky to loosen his grip.

To make matters worse, Bucky then propped his forearm horizontally against your throat, as you dangled in the air under his hold, putting a hard stop to your struggle because your ability to breath was quickly waning.

“You’re gonna listen real good now, _you bitch_.” He lowered his register and spoke purposefully, with much gravitas. “Your father’s funeral? It’s the most important event for me. It’s going to set the stage for my political career moving forward so you _need_ to be on your A game.” He implored you, moving his forearm and replacing it with his large hand around your neck, pressing you harder against the wall and choking you further.

You were gasping for breaths, barely getting in any air. Tears started to build up and you started to feel light headed...

At your silence, he squeezed his fingers tighter around your neck and you started to see stars. Your vision blurred and your grip on your reality was beginning to fade in and out.

He growled his next question at you, “Let’s see if this sounds familiar. _Do I. Make. Myself. Clear?”_

You didn’t have the energy to respond, because Bucky was squeezing it all out of you. Your understanding of what was really going on was quickly dissipating. If only you could take one more breath…

And suddenly you were able to gasp in some air. There was a deafening smack as your body connected with the floor and you realized you weren’t being choked anymore. Your back arched at the at the inhale and your body shuttered as it was trying to regain its senses.

You could barely hear screaming in the background and what seemed to be punches? There were several voices shouting at each other and it hurt your head; your throbbing head.

You then felt soft hands around your body, trying to comfort you, but you passed out from exhaustion before you could find out whose hands belonged to.

********

Nat was the first one to arrive at the scene, sopping wet from her shower and standing stark naked in Y/N’s room. She couldn’t believe her eyes, seeing Bucky choking the life out of you against the wall, while she saw your eyes become more lifeless by the second.

_This was bad._

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. I need Steve here _now._ Get everyone in here. Medical too.”

F.R.I.D.A.Y. responded immediately and with a bit of urgency and concern, “Right away Agent Romanoff.”

She was terrified of this happening at some point…with Bucky’s uncontrollable anger management issues and his sudden bursts of violence. She had hoped that your first exposure to his aggression would have been observing it from afar but alas…here you were hanging on to your life with each small wheeze of air you could manage.

Nat knew she couldn’t waste anymore time taking in the situation. You were on borrowed time, as you were struggling to breathe, with Bucky’s hand cutting off air to your lungs.

She also knew that the team wouldn’t be here for at least another minute or so she had to act _now._ If she was your last line of defense, then she absolutely wasn’t going to let you down. 

Natasha immediately jumped into action by literally jumping onto Bucky’s back and putting his head in a strong choke hold. This was all that was needed to release you from Bucky’s hold because the weight on his back pulled him back from your body that was plastered against the wall.

Bucky stumbled back with loud, heavy steps as both his hands quickly went to Nat’s arms around his neck. He tried arching his back and then slumping forward to work her off his back but had no luck.

Steve was the first to respond and what he saw when he entered your room scared him to death.

_Why the hell was Nat on Bucky’s back?_

_Why was she naked?!_

_Why were you laying on the ground, unmoving?_

_Why were you naked too?!_

_…Were you breathing?!_

_…Oh shit…._

_Did Bucky hurt....?_

_NO!_

In that split second that Steve assessed the situation, he instinctively sprinted to you, kneeling down by your side as he pulled your limp body to him. Steve held you with the gentlest touch, not wanting to hurt you further.

When he pulled you to his chest, that’s when he saw the hand marks on your neck.

His heart stopped. This was one thing he was terrified of happening with Bucky…Bucky was unpredictable and volatile. Easily triggered and easily angered. Steve said it was like watching his best friend being possessed by something otherworldly, like Bucky had an alternate personality that decided to make its appearance from time to time.

It took Bucky time to snap out of it and come out of his trance when this happened so he had to get you out of there safely and quickly. 

Steve had grown an affinity to you since they took you in. You were this beam of sunshine and warmth and love that he’s been missing his entire life. And you made it look so easy and you gave that love so easily.

He did notice that you had started flirting with him and he decided to take it and run with it. He wanted to do anything and everything to make you smile and giggle, because you were a sight for sore eyes. Your laughter softened his icy heart and he wasn’t sorry for it.

He had to protect you at all costs because you jumped into their family with no qualms and easily accepted everyone, well besides Bucky. Which he understood.

Steve didn’t know what to do, he wasn’t the one with medical knowledge but when he didn’t notice a pulse, he started panicking even more, if that was even possible. He decided to lay you back down and thought to give you CPR… _because that’s what you do when someone isn’t breathing?_

He hated how he didn’t know how to initially help you but he wasn’t going to do nothing.

Before he was about to give you your first breath, Sam came charging in and pushed him off your body.

“Hey asshole! You don’t give someone CPR if they’re breathing!”

Steve was shocked… _how could Sam not see she wasn’t?!_

Sam angrily pointed to her chest that rose and fell, with the smallest of movements.

Steve paled. This was why he didn’t ever help with anything medical related. He probably would have made things worse!

Nat caught his attention when she screamed for his help, “ROGERS! Get your stupid ass over here and help, _now!_ ”

When he turned, he saw Bucky backing Nat’s frame into the wall behind him aggressively, and it knocked the wind out of her, causing Nat to lose her grip around his neck.

Steve squinted his eyes at his best friend and knew exactly what to do.

He then charged Bucky at full speed, slamming his body into the nearest wall, where it left a full body sized dent.

For extra measure, he straddled Bucky’s waist and was about to lay into him when he felt a hand on his raised wrist, “ _Stop._ The _press_ Steve.”

Steve audibly grunted, because he knew Nat was right, so he lowered both his hands to Bucky’s shoulders and started shaking him violently. Then he began the shouting.

“How fucking _dare_ you lay a hand on Y/N! HOW DARE YOU! You know exactly what she means to us, to _me_!” He leaned down when he saw Bucky slowly coming to and whispered, “You _ever_ do that again…my fist won’t give your pretty face a second thought.”

When he saw Bucky gulp, he knew he got the message. He wanted to say more, because he wanted to prove how much you meant to him, but Clint yanked him off Bucky’s body and when he turned around he was met with a crowd.

He straightened up and glared at each on-looker. “That goes for _all_ of you. Anyone even lay a _pinky_ on her, you answer to _me._ Got it?”

Steve was met with ardent nods and that satisfied him enough.

He quickly dashed to your side when he heard you mumble and stir. Tony was holding you now as he stroked your back. He spoke softly to you as you were slowly awakening. Tony no doubt looked like a concerned parent, scared shitless for his goddaughter.

Steve made eye contact with Tony and in that moment, he saw concern swiftly change to rage when he spotted Barnes in the corner. He spoke with his eyes for Steve to take over you and Steve panicked. He knew what Tony was capable of and if anyone crossed him, they never survived. And he also could tell that you meant more to Tony than anything else in this world, so nothing was going to stop him from avenging you.

Steve yelled over his shoulder as Tony ran over to Bucky’s recovering form, “Barton! Wilson!”

They didn’t need to be told twice as they stepped in front of Barnes and blocked Tony’s path.

“Both of you. Get out of my way!”

“No can do boss.” Clint replied, knowing that was going to piss off Tony.

Tony couldn’t believe his ears. No one disobeyed his orders. “ _What did you just say to me?”_

“Barnes needs to stay clean, you know this. Think of _our_ future. Don’t let your feelings get in the way of our game plan.” Wilson retorted.

“My feelings?! _My. Feelings?!_ ” Tony stormed slowly towards Wilson, the newest target of his rage. “She’s the only family I’ve got left—”

“But boss…what about us?” Scott interrupted with desperation, not wanting to not be thought of as his family.

Wanda was anxiously standing next to Scott when he stupidly spoke up, so she smacked him across the back of his head to show him a lesson.

“Ow! What was that for?—” He looked around the room to find the team glaring at his inability to read a room. “Sorry…” He continued meekly.

The entire team seemed pleased with Wanda taking action on the idiot of the family. They brought their attention back to the real matter at hand.

Tony took a much-needed breath to regain his composure, “Don’t you _ever_ question me and my desire to defend my kin. None of you know what she’s been through and it’s my responsibility now to protect her at all costs. Even from _something_ that comes from within.” He pointedly looked at a sagging Barnes on the floor.

Tony didn’t break eye contact, “I hope you’ve been savvy with your money because you’re not getting paid until you earn back my trust. And you’ve got a long path ahead of you.”

With that, Tony nodded at Steve to move you. Sharon had grabbed a blanket off the bed and draped it over your naked body, so Steve swaddled you tightly into the knitted blanket as he moved you to the med bay.

Nat and Wanda followed close behind him while Barton, Wilson, Lang, and Carter stayed with Tony, more like to ensure Tony didn’t beat the shit out of Barnes.

The look in Tony’s eyes told Bucky that he was deep in the doghouse and he was going to have to climb his way out, tooth and nail.

“Just so you know…F.R.I.D.A.Y showed me the footage.” He approached slowly and then bent down to where he was squatting in front of Barnes. “The funeral was pushed back three hours because she had a rough night. You weren’t _late._ Never were going to be late.”

Tony spat on the floor right where Barnes’ feet were. “Next time you think of touching her like that…think about not having balls again. Now get your shit together because we’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

Bucky was suddenly left alone in the room; left to ponder what he just did. The tears started to build up and glisten in his eyes.

As much as he didn’t like you, he never wanted this to happen. He hated this part of himself. And his supposed family just shamed him for it, with all that they know about his past.

He never wanted you to get caught in the cross hairs of his painful past. And he never wanted to hurt you.

Bucky took the next hour to cry. This was the first slip up he’s had in over a year. And it of course had to be on you.

He cried for not being able to control himself, for letting his emotions get the best of him. He knew he was better than that. And he cried for you. He cried for breaking your rule, for hurting you, for bringing you into his mess, for disappointing you. He just…cried.

He _hated_ himself.

********

You twitched awake and your body was stiff. You were hurting everywhere, especially your neck. And the pain made you remember... _Fuck, Bucky did a number on you._

Your eyes flickered open and you were met with bright lights shining down on you, an itchy cotton blanket covering your body, and an ice pack against your head and neck.

_How did you even get here?_

There was a small dip in the bed to your right when you heard his voice and felt his soothing touch.

“Hey hey, sweetheart, I’m here. Shuuuu I’m here.” Steve moved onto the small bed beside you as you weren’t calming down.

He pulled you close into his side and cradled your head into the crook of his neck. After the several times you two had cuddled this week, where you had some very private panic attacks only you he saw behind closed doors, he learned pulling you as close to him and placing your head next to his neck helped calmed you immensely.

Steve began to rub gentle circles around your back and kissed your temple for extra measure. He knew you really liked that because you told him last time.

He’s come to love his alone time with you because for some odd reason, your walls collapsed when you were with him and he witnessed this sweet but fragile girl who was trying to take care of everyone and everything around her without taking care of herself first. And from the short time he had known you, he wanted to be the one to take care of you. He wanted to be the strong one for you. He wanted to protect you, to hold you tightly, and tell you he was going to make everything better. You let him be soft for you and you would never know what that meant to him.

You were crying again in his arms and he hated seeing you cry. Your cries turned into hiccups and he pressed you harder to his chest, trying to ground you.

“Sweetheart, I got you, he ain’t gonna hurt you again. I swear on my ma’s grave.”

His promise got you to calm down considerably. You nodded against his neck and your hiccups slowed.

“That’s my good girl. Such a good girl. I got you sweetheart. Always will.”

You pulled back from Steve to get a good look at this incredible man who seemed to want to take care of you with every fiber of his being.

You craned your neck up as much as you could without pain any pain spiking, so that your lips were hovering above his before you said, “Thank you.” A few more tears slipped down your cheeks. “Please don’t ever leave me. I-I…trust you like I trust Tony.” You begged as your eyes gleamed with more unshed tears, “I need you.”

Steve’s heart clenched at her confession. You trusted Tony with your life and now you were extending that trust to him. He wouldn't ever betray his sweet girl.

He held your chin tenderly with one of his strong, unwavering hands. “On my life sweetheart.”

He leaned down slowly as he kept eye contact and asked for consent with his eyes. You nodded softly and he connected your lips with his in a gentle peck. He could hear your heart racing and he was worried he was causing you more pain, so he reluctantly pulled back.

You groaned at the loss of his lips on yours. You now didn’t not want his lips on you. They were plush and moved against yours with grace and a certain tenderness you’ve never experienced before. Steve was the best kiss you’ve had and that was just a peck. You knew you wanted more.

Steve chuckled softly at your complaint and pushed a few strands behind your ear, “You need your rest baby, kissin’ you won’t allow you to do that. Even though that’s all I wanna do right now.” He leaned to the side and kissed your cheek.

You sighed at his touch, “Stay with me?”

“Always Y/N. Always.”

You closed your eyes once more for some more rest. You were going to need it for all the attention you were going to have this afternoon. And you rested knowing Steve was with you.

********

Pierce’s phone started ringing in his inside coat pocket. He waved his hand, dismissing everyone else in the room once he saw who was on the caller ID.

After three rings and the room was cleared, he answered. “Give me useful updates Agent.”

Without missing a beat, the agent answered, “They’re all on edge sir. Stark more than the rest, but that was to be expected.”

He stared at the funeral invitation and slapped the piece of paper in his hand a few times. He wasn’t going to miss his chance to torment his prized possession.

“Why’d the service get delayed?”

“…She had a situation. She’ll be good to go though. Will have some trouble getting her away from the team, they’re keeping two on her at all times.”

“That won’t be an issue. I’ll have my guys take care of that. You, on the other hand…stick to the plan. This will be my one chance at alone time with her for the time being.”

“Yes sir. I’ll get her there.”

“That’s my good, obedient Agent. Now go, keep up your appearances.”

Pierce hung up without giving the agent a chance to respond. He smirked to himself knowing this war was just beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Let me know your thoughts :) <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Obadiah's funeral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo! Happy February! 
> 
> I know this is so delayed, but there was so much I wanted to pack into this chapter. It's much longer and I hope there is enough angst to forgive the delay. 
> 
> Thank you again for all your patience! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading and let me know what you think :)
> 
> TW: violence, anxiety

Waking up next to Steve was just what you needed. He woke you up by peppering you with soft pecks across your cheeks, whispering sweet nothings into your ear, rubbing your back soothingly, and holding you in the sweetest embrace against his chest.

He was extra careful touching your neck because the bruising had only gotten worse in the hour you rested after the Bucky incident. Your neck had hand and finger imprints that stained your throat a darkening purple. You luckily didn’t sustain any other injuries because the neck injury was bad enough.

You couldn’t deny that this side of Steve made you absolutely swoon. After your first encounter meeting him, you didn’t know he had the propensity to be one of the sweetest men you’ve ever met. He had been doting on you ever since, and you were basking in all of his attention. This man had been doing everything to make you feel safe and comfortable and you were secretly loving it.

And you’d barely scratched the surface with him. Maybe there really was more than meets the eye with Steve…

When your senses came back and you were more awake, you heard Steve say, “How are you doing sweetheart?”

You took a moment to look at Steve, his eyes boring into yours, truly wanting to know how you were doing.

“Not good, everything hurts—” A coughing fit stopped your response. You curled in on yourself as the coughing continued and Steve wrapped his burly arms around you in a soothing hold as he tried to calm you down.

Your throat hurt so _fucking_ much. It felt like your throat was smashed into a thin paper layer where it felt impossible to inflate and intake air. 

“Breathe baby. Slow deep breaths, if you can.” You listened to Steve’s commands. He spoke with such tenderness; it was easy to listen to him.

“We’ll get you better, okay? I promise. I’m gonna get you some tea and more meds.” You nodded in response.

When he stepped away from the bed, that’s when you noticed he was already dressed in his crisp black suit with his white button down and thin black tie. His hair had his signature side part and was styled back accordingly. He was a welcomed distraction when he was dressed so sharply.

He pulled his phone out and started typing out a message. He mumbled as he demanded over text what you needed. “That fucker is gonna pay for what he did to you.”

You weren’t sure if you were supposed to hear that, but you did. You closed your eyes, not wanting to know the details and you snuggled closer into your pillow.

“Isn’t he your best friend though?” You said hoarsely.

Steve gripped your chin and smirked down at your unsure eyes. He stated plainly, like it was common knowledge. “Yeah so? You’re my sweetheart.”

And that was that. Steve sealed his commitment to you with a gentle kiss, leaving you wanting more and with no doubt of how he felt for you.

When you pulled away, you whispered in response not wanting to put more pressure on your throat, “Just spare me the details, okay?”

Your lack of defense of Barnes threw Steve off. You had the biggest heart of anyone he knew, and you would always give people a second chance and think the best in others. But Barnes must have done a number on you enough for you to let Steve’s threat slide.

He ran his free hand through your hair, calming your worry. But you saw the mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he replied, “Oh…so you _don’t_ wanna know if he squirms and squeals like a little school girl?”

You squinted your eyes at his retort, “Ok, don’t spare _all_ the details.”

He leaned down to kiss your forehead. You hummed at his kiss and kissed his jawline where you could reach it.

Ironically enough, you didn’t want Bucky hurt. You knew the feeling all too well of what it was like to be hurt and ostracized from those you loved. You didn’t love Bucky, and you’re sure he didn’t love you, but you didn’t want to turn into those who hurt you in the first place. That was one of your biggest fears…you didn’t want the evil world around you to jade you from the beautiful things in life.

You could also briefly tell he wasn’t himself when he was violent with you. There was this haze over his eyes, and he seemed like he was a whole different person. As bad as he hurt you, you did want to make sure he was okay, even if you hated his guts, because he was a means to an end. He was a key to your survival.

You decided you needed to investigate more on Bucky and his past…there _had_ to be a reason why he lashed out at you…

But you were cut short on planning when a crowd of staff came bursting through the door.

You thought you had more time to rest and forget about the shit day ahead of you, but you guessed wrong. People were flurrying around you with urgency. There was medical, the housekeeper, the chef with your prepared food, the stylist, the makeup artist, hair stylist, and everyone in Shield besides Bucky.

You were starting to feel overwhelmed and claustrophobic with all these new people around you, calling out demands and orders to help get you ready in record time. It became an instant blur, the voices blending into white noise in the background as you heard yourself swallow the dry lump in your throat.

You sat up in bed, pulling the covers with you up to your chin, and started panicking when you noticed Steve wasn’t next to you anymore.

Your eyes dilated as your breathing picked up. You needed something, no, _someone_ to ground you, make you feel secure in the chaos right now.

You could feel the tears burning in the back of your eyes and whatever was left of your windpipe was constricting even further. You needed Steve, _now._

Thank god Clint saw the panic written all over your face and was smart enough to grab Steve.

Once Steve saw you shaking with anxiety, he rushed to you on the bed and slowly and softly brought you onto his lap. He cooed you and begged you to calm down again with the softest look in his eyes.

He gently held your head in his strong, big hands, caressing your cheek with calming strokes of his thumbs.

You could feel the tears almost spill over. You pleaded with Steve in a timid voice, “I need you.”

Steve chuckled softly. Not laughing at you but at himself. Because he _knew_ how whipped he was for you already. He would do anything you asked of him at this point.

He spoke with conviction as he looked straight into the depths of your eyes, “You always got me sweetheart. Don’t ever doubt that.”

You closed your eyes and the relief finally left you. You weren’t going to be able to get through today without him. Everything fucking _hurt_ and you could barely move on your own. Let alone speak. But you were grateful this man holding you wasn’t leaving you.

“Kiss me?” You asked quietly.

“Gladly.” He smirked down at you before he gave you the most tender, reassuring kiss you needed. You melted into him even more, completely oblivious to all stares and the oh’s and ah’s, knowing you could weather any storm you faced if he was with you.

~~

An hour later, you were finally ready, physically speaking. You still needed to figure out how you were going to emotionally get through this day without having a public breakdown. But you knew you couldn’t show any emotion besides grief today. You had to be strong if you wanted to survive. And you made yourself a promise you were going to fight for yourself, for that little girl who so desperately wanted a simple, happy life.

And by god, you were going to fight like hell for her if you had anything to say about it. She deserved that simple, happy life for everything she had endured.

You were ready within an hour amazingly enough. And absolutely looking the part. But that was all due to the 10+ person team making sure there was not a hair out of place.

Steve and Nat never left your side the entire hour you were getting done up. Steve gave you all the loving touches and kisses, nuzzling his head into your neck and whispering anything to make you smile, while Nat was sassy and bossy to everyone around her, making sure nothing upset you and you were the perfect image of a grieving New York politician’s daughter. When she could see you start to panic from all the people touching you and getting you ready, she made sarcastic jokes and classic puns, working to keep it light for you.

She knew that today was going to be hard. And she was the only one who could see that your tears were crying out for something other than your safety. She could sense that you were crying because you might have to relive an experience you downright didn’t want to.

She had to give you credit, you were coming off much stronger than you seemed underneath, and it made her respect the hell out of you. Plus, she had developed a soft spot for you after, *cough cough*, after finding your _own_ soft spot and exploiting it… _thoroughly._ She couldn’t deny she loved her private moments with you.

After everyone stopped fiddling with everything on you, from your hair to your makeup to your outfit, you finally had a moment alone to assess your look. And you had to admit that you did look more than presentable. You looked every part of the beautiful, eye catching grieving daughter, and you wouldn’t expect you were hiding some certain external bodily marks.

You donned a black, long sleeved turtleneck dress that ran down to your knees. After seeing how your bruises were getting worse, Nat and Tony insisted you needed a dress that would cover every inch of your battered body.

Tony, being the paranoid but protective godfather he was, didn’t want any picture taken of you that could lead to any negative suspicion on what went on behind closed doors. He didn’t want anything to be taken out of context and he had his reputation to uphold.

You were feeling unsure of the black strappy heels, because one, the heel was thinner than a pencil and two, the height was higher than what you normally wear to work. You tried protesting for another, more suitable, wearable pair but everyone shot down your complaints because the heels worked perfectly with your outfit, so you were stuck with the unbearable strappy heels for the remainder of the day.

Tony made you practice taking laps in the heels so you wouldn’t be so wobbly.

He didn’t want you coming off as weak or incompetent by not being able to walk in heels. And that’s when Bucky walked in.

He was first hit with your stunning beauty that radiated past your scowl and annoyed demeanor but then he saw your pain. Your legs were shaking undeniably, your hands tremored on Tony’s forearm, and you kept twitching your neck like you were in pain. And that’s what hurt him.

When you stretched out your neck while you huffed out a breath, your turtleneck collar didn’t follow your movement and he saw the worsening bruises.

He internally cursed himself for ever putting you in harms way. He hated that he couldn’t trust himself. That was never something he ever wanted to do, even if he couldn’t stand you. He needed you as much as you needed him for all of this to work.

Bucky moved his way over to your struggling form. He kept his distance, not only for you but for Tony. He didn’t want to dig himself further into the doghouse.

He coughed to alert them of his presence. He put his hands into his pants pockets and spoke nervously, “Hey Y/N…”

You went still. Not the voice you wanted to hear, and it made you flinch. And the entire room went quiet, waiting to see the fall out of what happened earlier.

You didn’t expect to interact with him until the very last minute…but you had to be professional. You needed to be the bigger person because he might end up being your last line of defense today if shit hit the fan.

You turned to him and nodded politely. “Barnes.” You patted Tony’s hand on your forearm to calm him of his anger and to signal you were fine on your own.

“I’m not leaving you Princess. Not with _him_. It’s too soon.” He barked. But he wanted to respect your wishes, so he stiffened and backed away, but only a few inches, to stay within arm’s reach of you.

You sighed defeatedly. You were so _tired_ of people telling you what was best for you at this point. And you didn’t have it in you to argue back because you needed to save your energy for the worst part of the day coming up…

“ _Fine._ ” You rolled your eyes at your godfather. You took a tentative step towards Barnes and laced your fingers together in front of you. Trying to keep your shit together as best you could.

He beat you to the punch and spoke softly, only for you to hear, “You do look beautiful Y/N—”

You pursed your lips together and huffed a breath through your nose as you shut your eyes. You couldn’t deal with this emotional bullshit right now.

“ _Please,_ don’t—"

You suddenly felt his hand grip your wrist, tighter than you expected. You looked at his grip bewildered, not believing he had the audacity to touch you like this, and all so soon after the incident.

The entire team took a few steps closer, holding their breath, not knowing if Barnes would have another outburst.

“ _Barnes,_ watch it!” Wilson warned him, being the first to speak up. Even though they were buds, Sam drew the line with you, and with how women were treated. It didn’t help that this was his first time touching you since the incident. He was just as terrified of what Bucky was capable of, just like the rest of the team.

Bucky really did want to be there for you. Maybe it was the guilt or shame, but he really needed to know if you two were on the same page. He was going out on a limb and thought giving you a lending hand would be a good start.

He persisted and spoke with conviction and confidence, “I won’t let you fall. But you gotta _trust_ me.”

_Wow, this asshole had the balls to speak to you like this?!_

You weren’t gonna let it slide.

“ _Trust you?!_ Are you kidding me?!” You used his grip to pull your body closer to his chest so you could attempt to intimidate him.

You continued, “After everything, that’s what you have to say to me?” You raised your voice at him. You scoffed at him and then decided to fuel the fire. _Let the games begin._

You spat in his face.

_And it felt fucking good,_ especially seeing the look on his face. The utter satisfaction rolled throughout your body, as a smug smile found its way onto your face.

Bucky stopped moving and released your wrist. His jaw dropped and couldn’t believe what you just did. He swiped his hand over his face, wiping your spit off him.

_No one_ had ever spat on him. And lived.

You deadpanned, not giving him more time to react, “Next time you better ask for permission.” You didn’t expand further but instead looked back and forth between his hand and your wrist.

You finished by turning your glare to Tony, making sure he knew you held some resentment towards him too.

Bucky looked like he was about to charge you because he was visibly fuming. And that’s when the team finally stepped in. Steve blocked Bucky’s path and shielded you from his warpath.

“Stand down Buck.” Steve viciously ordered as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was ready to lay Bucky out if need be.

Bucky couldn’t believe Steve right now. Steve would never let anyone treat Bucky that way…maybe Y/N was making him soft. He had never not sided with Bucky before. But whatever the reason, he felt betrayed.

Nat grabbed your hand and interlaced your fingers together and Wanda moved to walk at your back, Wilson and Clint flanked Steve, and Tony dramatically rolled his eyes at the entire situation. He had _had it_ with you two.

He couldn’t figure out, for the life of him, why _anyone_ on the team couldn’t pull their shit together for the sake of the family. But he had to cut you some slack, he’d forced you into this situation and now he had to help you get through it.

Sharon finally broke up the chaos, “The car is out back. We need to leave if we want to stay on schedule.”

That got everyone’s attention. Tony quickly stepped forward and yapped, “Time’s up. Everyone pull your shit together.” He circles his pointer finger, rounding everyone up as he headed towards the garage. “Let’s roll out.”

Everything seemed to speed by before your eyes, while everyone geared up and took their places. You think they grabbed coms and weapons, getting prepared for an eventful day, but you weren’t sure, as everything was starting to haze over. The reality of what you were heading into was sinking in. Within the next few minutes, you were being escorted to the black bullet proof limo that was idly waiting behind the garage.

Steve was to your right, arms hung by your side numbly, and your fingers within a hair’s breadth of lacing with his, itching to hold his.

Bucky was on your left, putting his hand on your lower back. He smartly asked for your permission before you left the tower, so you were okay with the minimal touching at the moment. You had to give him credit for being as professional and cordial as he was after you spat in his face. Maybe Bucky was more complex than you imagined.

He kept close to your side, shielding you from the prying eyes in the alley.

You noticed he was on high alert, his head swiveling around every second, observing if there were any imminent threats. His body was tense, and he stood at attention as he widened his shoulders, taking up space to shield you from anything. At least he was good for something…

You also saw the handgun tucked into his waist, and the second one hanging near his armpit in the shoulder holster. If he had two guns on him, you were sure everyone else was carrying… _did that also mean he had other weapons on him?_

You realized you weren’t sure if you were okay with _seeing_ the weapons on him. It made it realistic. Talking about it was one thing but visually seeing a loaded gun on the person touching you? Slightly terrifying.

But shouldn’t you be used to the guns with your run ins with Hydra? That’s when you remembered they never physically showed you guns during your time, they had _other means_ to threaten you into submission.

You had to admit Bucky was very menacing when he wanted to be…you made sure to be cautious with him, to never piss him off in the future.

So, you focused on taking one step at a time, ignoring Bucky and his lethal stares, doing your best to try to ease the anxiety and discomfort awaiting you for the day.

Luckily, Steve had kept his word. He never left your side the entire morning and was always within an arm’s reach if you weren’t comfortable.

Even though he was somber, he kept the mood light with you. Always working to pull the smallest smile out of you, to distract you from the daunting day ahead. He rubbed your back, kissed your temple, massaged your shoulders, told you how brave and strong and beautiful you were. Telling you the sweetest things that made your heart swell.

His efforts to make you feel better didn’t go unnoticed.

And until he did all of this for you, you didn’t realize how badly you yearned for someone to be gentle with you and take care of you.

As you focused on not tripping and taking it step by step to the safety of the limo in front of you, you wanted to desperately hold his hand, to hold onto the protective, calming, gentle man who had been nothing but comforting to you, but you knew the cameras were on you.

Nat had sadly spotted dozens of paparazzi looming outside the Tower hours leading up to the funeral wanting to capture any glimpse into the life of Tony Stark. Knowing this put you even more on edge, because every move, facial expression, body language change would be brutally scrutinized. This was why the limo was moved to the back, to protect you and your identity at all costs, but you knew those pesky paparazzi would do anything for a hint inside Tony Stark’s life.

Plus, your relationship to Tony was still very much hidden and Tony was holding out on revealing the true nature of your bond until the last minute possible. You didn’t blame him. He had tallied up his fair share of enemies.

_But so did you._

You didn’t want him to get mixed up with Pierce and know what really had been going on for almost a decade…because you knew if Tony did, he would lose all sense of himself.

This funeral was bound to be the social event of the year thus far, with guests like Tony attending. Your father was very influential and had decades of public service under his belt, but you didn’t think it garnered a reaction like this

The saying that people only show up for your wedding and funeral? Yeah that shit is real.

Not only were you fearing seeing Pierce, but faking a smile, and engaging in useless small talk was utterly exhausting.

You knew your energy was already low to begin with and it was dissipating even faster. But Bucky’s hand clutched your back briefly to stir you out of your mindless thinking. You had reached the open back door of the limo and he was motioning you to move inside.

Steve was already inside the limo and you didn’t waste a moment in climbing onto his lap. He smiled sweetly at you and tucked you gently into his neck and held you close to his chest.

“Hmmm,” you sighed and relaxed further into his hold.

Steve kissed your forehead and placed one of his hands on your hip, slightly holding your backside.

Bucky followed suit and closed the door behind him. He tapped the ceiling of the limo to signal the driver to take off.

“ _Gross_ , can you two _not_ do this right now—”

Steve interjected, “ _Buck_ …just stop. The windows are tinted and it’s bulletproof. And…can’t you see that _she needs me?”_

If Bucky could kill with his glare, Steve would be dead yesterday. You could easily tell, without a fraction of a doubt, that what Steve said got under Bucky’s skin.

You weren’t sure why because Bucky had shown nothing but hatred and disgust towards you, so you didn’t understand why this was affecting him so much.

You sassily defended your Steve. “My private life isn’t any of your concern. Who I choose to get involved with is my business. One of my stipulations. You know better than that Barnes.”

Steve threw his head back laughing heartily. He was not expecting you to snap at Bucky, but he can’t deny he loved every second of it.

Once he calmed down, he leaned down and claimed your lips in a bruising kiss, but maybe sure not to jostle your head and neck in the moment. You moaned into his mouth as he twirled his tongue with yours and made you feel like you were floating.

He pulled away for air but rested his forehead on yours. “I _adore_ you.”

Bucky pretended to gag, “Get a room, you two are _disgusting._ ”

This just encouraged you to kiss Steve more and that’s exactly what you did. You didn’t hold back how you were feeling; you were in a moment with Steve and no one, especially Bucky, was going to take that away from you.

Steve slowed down the kissing and he _took his time_. He lingered on your lips, allowing you to taste the spearmint on his tongue from his gum he chews after his morning coffee. It allowed him time to run his nose along the edge of yours and then to trickle his pillow soft lips along your jawline, speaking tenderly how much you mean to him; reminding you that he was there, that you weren’t going to face today alone.

As beautiful as the moment was, it was also sobering. He quickly shattered the peacefulness around you, bringing you back to your living nightmare.

Steve softly leaned his forehead on your hairline and breathed in your vanilla and lavender scented hair from your favorite shampoo you used this morning. Being around you simultaneously made him feel like he was bouncing with energy but also calm and content. He’d never felt a connection with a woman like this before until he’d gotten to know you. And you’d been the biggest, most welcome surprise of them all.

He opened his eyes, hoping to find your gorgeous Y/E/C orbs looking right back at him, with a perky and youthful hint to them. He wanted to tell you once more how beautiful you looked, even on a day like today, and how your mere presence made him feel like a love-struck teenager. But the moment he saw your strong exterior begin to crack, he knew it wasn’t about him and his feelings. He could tell you were stuck in your head and thinking of the worse case scenarios.

Today was about you and protecting you and your heart.

He knew you needed strength from him and that was what he was going to do.

But he was interrupted by Bucky.

Bucky palmed his thighs, trying to expel his nervous energy and working on gathering his composure before he spoke. He wasn’t sure if he could play nice with you after you spat on him earlier. And on top of that, you were shoving your tongue down his best friend’s throat with no cares in the world. No respect for his presence mere feet away.

“Look Y/N…” Bucky exhaled shakily. And that caught your attention. You sat up more in Steve’s lap to look at Bucky, because the look in his eyes made him appear sincere and somewhat regretful.

But what he said next made you want to slap the living day lights out of him.

“Can you _not_ be a raging bitch to me today? I need our debut to be perfect and your _little attitude_ already won’t solidify our status as New York’s _finest couple_.” He finished in air quotes.

Your jaw dropped. You couldn’t believe this asshole. But you sure as hell were going to put him in his place.

“THAT’S IT! I’VE HAD IT WITH YOU!” You wailed. But it came out as a hushed raspy yell, your throat still sore from this morning. You attempted to push Steve’s hands off you in your blind anger.

You started squirming in Steve’s lap, trying to leap at Barnes to take a whack at that douchebag face of his but Steve’s grip on your waist planted you securely on his thighs, with no wiggle room.

Bucky fell back comfortably into his seat and interlaced his fingers behind his head, enjoying getting a raise out of you. His smug smile taunted you even more, wanting to see what else you’d give him, what other response he’d earned from his snark remark.

“Stop it Steve! Lemme teach him a damn lesson!” You started scratching at his arms and hands, seeing if you could get him to let up but it was no use. Steve was too strong for you.

You swatted as hard as you could at Steve’s hands that were tightening around your middle. You groaned at Steve and his level headedness, so you gave up and slacked back into his chest, knowing you’d just waste energy trying to fight against him.

You huffed and crossed your arms over your chest and glared at Bucky. _He was going to pay…eventually._

“Glad to see you can be controlled, _Y/N.”_ Bucky smirked.

You growled, having it vibrate throughout your whole body. You were ready to pounce and annihilate him.

Steve held you closer and tucked his head next to your ear, “Not now sweetheart, not now. Focus on today.”

_Fuck,_ he was right.

He kissed your temple in hopes to calm you. “You can have your way tonight.”

You could feel Steve’s smirk on your cheek, and you knew he’d let you have your fun. This man would be your undoing and you weren’t mad about it one bit.

~~

The limo circled the block numerous times as you, Bucky, and Steve squared away the appropriate details for today. Specifically, how and where and when Bucky could touch you. Bucky attempted to prepare you for the onslaught of press, but you just shook off his warnings. You’d been around Tony long enough that you knew what to expect… _right?_

But you were sorely mistaken. As much as you prepared for the funeral, for pumping yourself up for aggravatingly numbing small talk, for New York’s elites to be walking all over you, for your real identity to be revealed…you would quickly learn that you weren’t prepared for this day in the absolute slightest.

When the limo pulled up to the St. Patrick’s Cathedral, there was no turning back. You pulled the small liquid bottle out of your purse and squirted a few drops into your eyes, watering them enough so it appeared like you were crying. Then you rubbed your eyes, making them appear red and puffy. 

You'd also been sucking on throat lozenges and sipping tea in a to-go cup so you could lubricate your throat for your speech later on today. And also give it the needed care for it to start healing.

You looked at Bucky, who was just looking back at you with amazement. “Will this suffice, _darling?”_ You made sure to punctuate the pet name with enough malice.

“That’ll do.” He nodded with a blank face and was the first one out of the limo. But he paused at the last second before he opened the car door. He said flatly, “Just tuck your head behind my arm, behind my shoulder ok? It’s chaos out there. But Steve and I will guide you.”

He jumped out confidently and you were left there to ponder his words. Now was the moment of truth. After everything that had happened between you two… _Were you going to trust him?_

You didn’t have much time to think because he was already holding his hand out, waiting for you to grab it to climb out of the limo.

You hurried after him because you knew if you looked at Steve once more, you’d crack and crumble again. You couldn’t afford to lose your marbles at the start of what would be the longest chess match of your life.

You stumbled slightly back and almost hit the side of the limo from the ambush of lights, but Bucky was there. He caught you. He wrapped his left arm around your waist and pulled you in close. You could smell is cologne and his aftershave, being closely pressed up against his side.

He kissed your temple and then that’s when the madness began. Shouts, screams, questions of who you were and if you were dating were thrown at you two.

_“Who are you with James?”_

_“Who’s the lucky lady?”_

_“Is that your new girlfriend?”_

_“Are you two a couple?”_

_“Smile for us James!”_

_“Give your lady a kiss! Kiss her for the camera!”_

_“Not as pretty as the last one James!”_

_“Downgrading from Victoria’s Secret models now, are we James?”_

_“Why are you with a nobody James? You can do better!”_

He didn’t let up on your hold and you were grateful, even if you’d never tell him. After the first 30 seconds of strangers screaming at you, grabbing at you, _taunting_ you…you zoned out. You couldn’t waste energy trying to respond or acknowledge their hurtful and prying words. But you knew later that night, their words would haunt you in your dreams. They would haunt you in the all your days to come. Their words acid as they registered with you. Hitting you at your worst insecurities. This relationship was going to be a battle for you. 

Your grip on his bicep grew tighter. His large build and strong stance were keeping you from falling. You were getting dizzy from the relentless lights and were overwhelmed by the barrage of insults.

It seemed Bucky noticed because he placed his other hand over yours on his bicep. He squeezed gently and whispered just loud enough over the shouts, “We’re almost inside.”

And once you crossed the threshold into the sanctuary of the church, you felt like you could breath. You almost collapsed because you didn’t realize you were holding your breath.

Bucky tightened his grip on you and stabilized you until you were steady on your feet. He spoke softly, “I got you.”

His reassurance calmed you and that’s when you realized you were the center of everyone’s attention. You were on the arm of the hottest bachelor in town and you were in the company of Shield. More noticeably, Tony was on his way over to you with the rest of Shield and everyone always stared at Tony. Because he’s…well _Tony._

You were steady enough to stand more on your own, but Bucky held your hand in his firmly.

“Hiya Princess,” Tony spoke happily, but keeping the nickname quiet amongst their group.

You had established that you and Tony were not going to have any physical contact until after you gave your eulogy, which Tony protested because he loves hugging you too much. So seeing him standing a few feet away upset that he couldn’t hold his goddaughter on a day like today comforted you that much more. You always knew Tony would be there for you, no matter what.

“Hi Tony,” you smiled sweetly at him. “We doing okay so far?” You motioned your head up to Bucky.

“You and Barnes are already the talk of the event. The press is going ballistic outside. And I’ve now had more than five different people approach me and ask if you two are official.”

“Yay! It’s working then.” Wanda excitedly clapped.

“Shhhh keep it down Wanda!” Sam whisper yelled at her, scolding her for her short outburst.

Tony rolled his eyes, “Let’s just take our seats already. Third row, right Y/N?”

~~

Of course before you were able to actually sit down, you were stopped every few feet by someone asking Bucky if you were his girlfriend, if you two were off the market. He happily introduced you as his girlfriend and you smiled and nodded along. You put on the most appropriate somber, fake smile and shook hands with each individual.

You were front and center now and you needed to make this believable. But it was beginning to become harder and harder. You found his touch foreign. Wrong. Repulsive even.

It felt dirty touching him, after being held by the hands of Steve. It felt like you were cheating on Steve, even though you two hadn’t labeled anything yet.

Bucky was this overpowering, manipulative, and threatening force that you wanted no part of. You wanted to get away from him as fast as possible.

His touch made you feel unbearably uncomfortable, tense even. You couldn’t focus on anything other than his revolting touch. You could feel your body and mouth moving, like you were going through the motions, but it felt like you were in another world experiencing his touch. And it was something you needed to get away from.

It was much different but also similar to the way Steve touched you. Steve was gentle and kind and good. He might be strong and intimidating but he switched into this teddy bear the moment he’s with you. He wouldn’t ever do anything to cause you harm. He was always waiting to take care of you, and it made you fall for him that much more.

But Bucky?

Bucky oozes a mysterious confidence. He leaves you wanting more, leaves you questioning what’s really underneath, leaves you uncertain of what he will do next. That uncertainty was the unwanted paranoia that you needed to get rid of.

_For your safety, for your safety,_ you kept repeating to yourself. Your day had just begun, and you needed to stay strong. Remind yourself of the end goal. You had to push through to live another day, to give yourself a fighting chance.

You swallowed back your emotions and steeled your face. If you could handle Pierce and Hydra, you could get through this asshole that is Bucky Barnes.

As you moved along from couple to couple, with Tony trailing very closely and talking everyone’s ear off, you finally noticed how Bucky had really earned that most eligible bachelor status. He definitely seemed to know how to work the room. He knew exactly what to do to satiate the gossiping funeral goers and the press. He knew exactly what to give them, a crowd pleaser no doubt. And he was clearly a master of the art of deception; making people believe what he wanted them to believe.

It was like he was a different person the moment he stepped out of the limo. A different person from the one choking you this morning.

You knew how it came off. He was protective in that adorable boyfriend manner. He was suave, kind, accommodating. He was a complete and utter gentleman and he was showcasing it perfectly on a day that required it tenfold.

And it made you want to literally vomit.

You could see the scowling social elites throwing daggers your way. Jealous of being on his arm and labeled his girlfriend. And you wish they knew it was fake. You would gladly switch places with them.

It put into perspective how desirable Bucky really was. How much power he really held, outside of the Shield world. How influential he was.

But he also knew it. He knew how hot he was, he knew exactly what he was doing and the affect he had on people, especially women.

The way he was touching you was making girls jealous; jealous of the attention he was giving you, of how he was comforting you.

He knew how to manipulate emotions with his voice, with his body language, with his charming personality. He knew it all and you were the subject of his efforts.

If you told them it was for show, you weren’t sure they would believe you. Bucky was that good of an actor. He knew how to put on a performance.

He interrupted your thoughts after the last couple left you alone near your pew.

“If you don’t fucking stop clenching your jaw and flinching every time I touch you, no one will fucking believe this. Fucking do better Y/N.” He scolded you. You could feel the venom roll off his tongue.

His threatening tone and voice made you flinch once more and proved even more how much you hated being on his arm.

He nudged you first into the pew and you finally sat down. You sank into the bench and scooted as far away from him as possible, closer to Nat on your left.

You begged her quietly, “Please make him stop, I can’t do this anymore. I take back everything I said, I don’t want this—”

“ _Y/N_ , pull yourself together. You can’t back out now….” She turned her head over her left shoulder and turned back quickly, “ _He’s_ here.”

You froze. You couldn’t move. You stopped breathing. _Not him._

You'd prayed desperately that he wouldn't show. A lost cause obviously, but it still hit you like a ton of bricks that he was there. That he was in the same room as you after a peaceful 3 years without any contact with him.

She subtly grabbed your hand and squeezed tightly, “It’s going to be okay. I’m here, _we’re here._ ”

Steve was in the row behind you, with Tony, and then swiftly hovered over your frame. He followed Nat's gaze and his eyes hardened. He leant forward over your shoulder, having overheard Nat and seeing you panic.

Tony stood up and sternly said, “I’ll go say a nice hello to him.” Tony was always one for petty small talk. He actually _thrived_ on it. And he loved making his enemies squirm in their skin. He was hoping to do that for Pierce and take some pressure of Y/N.

Tony was off and there was no arguing with him. You knew though that this was Tony’s indirect way of protecting you. He was sly. He wanted to misdirect the attention and focus off you. You were hoping his little plan would help somewhat.

Steve itched to touch and comfort you so badly, but he knew he couldn’t. This was part of the deal. He was now the ‘other man’ now, in terms to your fake relationship with Bucky. And he _loathed_ it. But that didn’t mean he’d stop supporting you when you needed it.

“I ain’t leavin’ ya sweetheart, I’m right here. But you gotta breathe for me. You can do this baby.” Steve sweetly encouraged.

You couldn’t respond because that’s when you locked eyes with Pierce himself.

And that’s when it felt like the entire world stopped moving. Like your world was about to implode.

You barely felt Bucky’s kiss to the temple. He kept his forehead next to your temple and you heard him speak when he held your head in his hand, “We prepared for this. Play your part.”

You couldn’t take your eyes off Pierce and his never left yours. You were in a staring contest with the one person on this Earth that you never wanted to interact with again.

And you knew he could see right through your façade. His entourage followed him up the side aisle of the church that led up to center stage. You could see his smirk growing bigger as he approached the first row of pews and your face paled knowing he had something up his sleeve. You were beginning to realize that you might not make it through the day.

You were so zoned out that you didn’t even realize the whispers and chatter had stopped and the service had begun, that the priest had started reciting prayers and bible verses. You didn’t realize that your body was taking you through the motions, and you were rising to your feet, kneeling, and sitting down at every cue.

You didn’t realize that your palm had started bleeding from the nail indents from your hand squeezing every once of anger out of you. You didn’t realize that Bucky was trying to snap you out of it or that you had gone stone cold and your breathing was short and labored. And you didn’t realize that Pierce was enjoying your obvious silent nervous breakdown caused by his presence.

He knew the affect he had on you. But no one else in the church did. The only other person that did was laying in the casket, dead.

The person who put you in your trance was also the one who broke you out of it. And then suddenly, you were back to reality.

Your head was spinning, your brain felt foggy, and your throat felt constricted. You felt the few beads of sweat trickle down the back of your neck.

You couldn’t turn to Steve or Tony. You couldn’t look at Nat. You couldn’t afford for any picture to be taken out of context to mess with the narrative you, Tony, and Shield were working on building.

But you could feel Steve’s nervous energy bouncing off him. You could see out of the corner of your eye how much he wanted to touch you. His want to comfort you gave you extra strength, because now? You had just begun the chess match and every move had to be calculated, precise, well thought out.

And you knew there were eyes on you because you came in on the arm of Bucky Barnes. So now he was your only option.

You worked on slowing your breathing, on focusing on feeling the air move in and out of your body. With each slow breath, you could feel your nerves slowly leave your body.

You grabbed Bucky’s hand that was resting on your left shoulder and along the back of the pew bench. Your fingers tangled with his and squeezed his large, muscular hand twice, needing to feel something in the present.

Bucky was surprised at your initiative and raised his eyebrows as he turned his head towards you. He misinterpreted your hand squeeze. He kissed your cheek and snarked close to your ear, “That’s more like it, Y/N.”

His attitude was _really_ getting under your skin. “ _Fuck you,_ Barnes.” You snapped.

You felt Nat nudging your elbow. She hesitated, “Uh…Y/N…”

You lifted your face up towards her, but something caught your eye along the way. _No…god no…_

“Th-this wasn’t…he can’t…what’s ha-happening…” You couldn’t believe the audacity this man had.

But on second thought? This was more on par with who he was. He would do something like this, like the fucking asshole he was.

_Be strong Y/N, you can do this. Show him he doesn’t affect you._

“Brothers and sisters, Director Pierce would like to say a few words as we end the service.”

Pierce took the podium as the priest stepped down. You gulped, seeing the vile, corrupt smirk take over his face.

Pierce profoundly projected his voice over the churchgoers, grapping their attention as he grasped the sides of the podium and leaned closer to the microphone.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. For those of you who don’t know, I’m Alexander Pierce. I asked Father Gabriel for a few minutes to speak on our beloved Obadiah because Obadiah has been a lifelong friend of mine. We started off as fraternity brothers, but it morphed into a familial bond as the years passed.”

_Fuck fuck fuck. Don’t do this Pierce…_

“We worked together in the public sector for over 20 years and he was one of the most stand up, loyal, exemplary, amazing men I’ve ever met. He was the essence of public service and his family was devoted to helping and lifting up others.”

_Lies, lies, lies._

“He truly put his community, his people, first, in ever decision he made. Simply said: he wanted to make the world a better place.”

Your eyes rolled. _Yeah, by his community he meant Hydra. Made a better place for them to take over…_

“You may not remember, but he has a daughter. She is his only survivor and she's incredible woman who was the light of his life.”

_Should have stayed in the house with dad and burned with him…_

“And until recent, she’s been out of the public eye for a long time. But his legacy will live on in his daughter, Y/N, who is here with us today.”

The team started to visibly panic as they crowded around you, giving you away instantly to the remaining churchgoers, who were shocked by this new revelation.

The onslaught of anxiety started pouring out.

“ _Oh fuck.”_

_“This isn’t good.”_

_“This motherfucker!”_

_“Of course he’d highjack the funeral…”_

_“We got you Pumpkin, don’t worry.”_

_“I’m right here baby, right here.”_

Pierce spoke once more, “I’d like to invite Y/N up here to say a few words. I know that’s what Obadiah would have wanted.” He encouraged you by signaling with his hands for you to venture up to the podium.

_That fucker can go burn in hell._

You were frozen in your seat but the only thing moving was your hand, tremoring in Bucky’s hold. He squeezed your hand firmly, and you were grateful. You needed physical touch right now so you wouldn’t run.

You hadn’t been this close to Pierce in years…this wasn’t something you ever wanted to experience ever again. But he wasn’t giving you any choice.

Tony finally spoke, with a terrifyingly steady voice. “Whatever you do Y/N, stay calm. Stick to the script. We’ll deal with this together.”

You barely acknowledged Tony, as you stood up on shaky legs. You didn’t miss the collective gasp from the churchgoers as they connected the dots as they saw Bucky help you. That the daughter of political royalty was dating Bucky Barnes. This was no doubt going to the be talk of the town for the remainder of the year.

And it didn’t happen on your terms. It didn’t happen like the strategic plan you concocted with Tony and the team. And that’s what made you so upset. You weren’t in control right now.

This wasn’t part of the plan. You were going to give a small speech at the burial, which was only supposed to be Shield and close family friends. A closed, intimate ceremony. No more than 20 people.

Not in front of a thousand strangers…

Bucky was smart enough to escort you up to the podium. The hushed whispers grew as they observed the now, hottest couple, in New York City. They saw firsthand how sweet and gentle Bucky was towards you. You heard a few Aws and it made you want to laugh out loud. It was all a farce.

But Bucky was also the only one who was keeping you from falling down. And you had to admit, it was the gentlemanly thing to do and you were grateful. Your legs wouldn’t be able to carry you to the podium if he wasn’t assisting you.

He spoke as you reached the steps leading up to the podium, “I’ll be right here Y/N.” He patted his torso above the jacket pocket, where you knew the gun was, for extra measure. To show you that he had your back, that he would protect you.

You had completely forgotten about his weapons, he hid them so well. But at this rate, he might have to use them. Hydra was unpredictable, which was the worst part of it.

You reached the podium and you gripped onto the wooden structure for balance. You took a few steadying breaths as you pulled out the folded piece of paper from your clutch and worked on flattening it out against the angled surface.

You didn’t need the script because you had it memorized. But it gave you comfort knowing the prepared words were right there to guide you if need be.

You tapped the microphone a few times and cleared your throat before you started speaking.

But before you said the first word, you caught Pierce’s eye one last time. He was standing off to the side with the biggest, most smug half smile and his arms crossed over his chest. He stood proudly knowing he disrupted everything you had planned. And seeing him so confident lit the fire inside you.

You were done being his victim. You were done crying and worrying about his next move. You were done being scared. You were done feeling like he had total control over the rest of your life.

You knew what you had to do. You had to wipe that cocky smile off his face and show him you were up to the challenge and you were ready to fight. To the death if you had to.

You finally spoke with a confidence you didn’t know you could possess right now.

“Thank you for the kind words and introduction Mr. Pierce. As Mr. Pierce mentioned, I am Y/N. I want to start off by thanking you all for being here today. I have been struggling with his death and it comforts me that this group of people share my agony over this loss. He was such a prominent figure head and I know the impact he made will be everlasting. It’s one of the things I’m most proud of him accomplishing. He was such a good man and he will be sorely missed. Not only in the public sector, but as my dad.”

_God you forgot how easy it was lie._

You shifted your gaze to Tony and bowed your head. You knew you were going to get in trouble for this.

“But things were not always as they seemed. Things were tough at times, and he had to make decisions that would follow him the rest of his life. There was so much more going on behind closed doors. But he didn’t want people to see his struggle, as he hoped to always show a brave face for those who he was serving. And he sacrificed a lot to achieve what he did.”

You saw Tony frantically swiping his hand over his throat, signaling you to cut it out, to stop everything you were saying. You had gone off script and it was going to ruin their whole plan. But you couldn’t. You had to let Pierce know what he was up against.

And when you turned to him, you saw his smirk had turned into a scowl. You knew you had him hooked. Just like the remainder of the audience, who were now on the edge of their seats, waiting to hear what you had to say.

You continued, “My father wasn’t always the greatest of men. He had his stumbles, his flaws, his shortcomings. Just like everyone else. But being in the public eye made all of his mistakes also that much more public. So it made growing up in politics very hard, where I had to live in his world from such an early age, sometimes bearing the consequences of his actions.”

You could see everyone was in disbelief of what you were saying. A speech so unhinged for a social event such as this one.

Your team was in utter shock of what was unfolding in front of them. You knew Tony was going to have a fit. You peaked over at Bucky and he had the tiniest, yet proudest smirk.

He was _impressed._ He had to give it to you. You had a helluva lotta courage to do what you were doing. Even if he didn't agree with it.

You made sure you locked eyes with Pierce for the last time. He needed to get your message loud and clear.

“But he did the best he could. He never backed down from a challenge. He fought for what he believed in and fought until his last day. He was a formidable opponent and was why he had such amazing staying power. As his only survivor, I hope I am able to do right by him and do him justice. I hope I’m able to carry on his meaningful legacy.”

For dramatic effect, you looked up to the sky and croaked out the last bit.

“I hope I do you proud dad. Love and miss you.”

You could hear sniffling throughout the church. You had captivated your audience.

You took your exit to stage right, the opposite direction of where Pierce was. Bucky helped you down the stairs but that’s when the adrenaline started wearing off. You could feel your body start to crumble.

Your hands started to sweat, you felt feverish, you now looked flush. You could feel your stomach churn.

Bucky saw the change instantly, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t believe that you had gone so far off script. This could jeopardize everything you two had set in motion and he wasn't going to let that happen over a grudge match you had going with the Director of the FBI.

“What the fuck Y/N?!”

You ignored his foul accusation.

“I’m gonna be sick.” You pushed him out of the way and ran to the nearest bathroom.

~~

Agent

3:47pm >>> _Boss, she’s headed to the restroom now_

Pierce

3:48pm >>> _Stick to the plan. I’m on my way_

The dirtiest and most vile smirk appeared on his face. After all this time, he was finally getting some one on one time with his favorite girl.

~~

Bucky panicked. He saw the unrest in your eyes and your pained body. He almost followed you into the bathroom before he stopped himself.

“Y/N? You okay?” He knocked on the door but all he got in response was hearing you retching.

He cringed and knew he had to get Nat and Wanda. This was day was turning in a ball of uncontrollable fury.

He rushed back to the rows of pews to find the congregation had broken up and started leaving. He scanned the crowd for his team, but they were already on their way to him, storming towards him, angry beyond belief.

He gulped when he saw the absolute rage in Tony’s eyes. “Where is she?!”

He pointed quickly back over his shoulder, “Bathroom.”

“Is anyone with her?!” Steve pressed.

He was met with silence and then wide eyes from Bucky. And he knew he just messed up.

_Why did he just leave her alone?!_

Tony threw his head back in irritation. He was royally pissed at you, but your safety was always his first priority. And how Pierce pulled that disgraceful stunt just now, he knew you were in more trouble being there longer than you needed to be. They needed to make their Irish exit as soon as possible.

Tony grunts loudly. “ _Fuck!”_ He runs his hand down his face. He had to delegate now to keep up appearances because he had to cover for you and show face before he left.

“Wanda and Sharon. Go deal with Y/N. Keep her safe. Lang, get the limo. Barton, you’re our eyes out back. The rest of you are with me to deal with press and to keep mingling.”

Steve didn’t like this plan at all. The safest you’d ever be was with him. He didn’t like being away from you when you were around imminent threats.

Without another word, Tony turned back to the front of the church and didn’t wait for his crew to follow. Steve knew there was no room for discussion when Tony got like this. They dispersed quickly and got to work. But before Sharon could get far, Steve stopped her with an unforgiving grip on her bicep.

“You do what you have to do to protect her Carter. You hear me?” He urged on with raised eyebrows.

She didn’t back down. She nodded and said confidently. “You have my word Captain.”

That seemed to satisfy Steve and he let her go as he ran to catch up to Bucky, who was in an increasingly bad mood as he realized he was essentially babysitting.

Babysitting you of all people. He couldn’t eye roll harder if he tried. But they strutted out to the lingering crowd outside the church to kiss ass and continue to make their mark on an already tumultuous day.

~~

Pierce stealthily made his way to the back of the church where his favorite Y/N was spewing her guts out. His impromptu appearance rocked her to her core and now she was physically ill. He _loved_ how much of an effect he had on her.

His men had double and triple checked the back halls and he knew there was no one else around when he slipped inside the women’s restroom.

He easily found you knelt over the second stall toilet, puking up your insides. He ignored the putrid vomit smell and decided to wait until you heard the door shut.

Your reaction was what he was hoping for. You sat up and quickly reached behind you to close the stall door but he slammed his hand down on the door, restricting it’s movement to block you from him.

When you saw the door didn’t budge, you looked up and you thought you were going to start hurling again.

The blood drained from your face and you worked on backing up away from him as far as possible but you didn’t get far. Your back was already against the toilet seat with nowhere else to go. You were caged in. Your worst fear going into today was quickly becoming your reality.

You were now _alone_ with Pierce. All of your worst case scenarios of things going wrong would now most likely come true. This man knew how to torture people.

You started panting, not knowing what to do. The oxygen wasn’t reaching your brain fast enough and you couldn’t figure out your best option to get out of this alive.

Your voice had seemed to escape you, throat dry from throwing up and dry heaving. You couldn’t muster the courage to scream even if you could, because seeing him was triggering. You couldn’t not listen to the years and _years_ of conditioning. It was second nature to immediately obey the domineering man in front of you. Because you knew the consequences of disobeying him were _far worse._

He crouched down in front of you with a growing devilish smirk, as a few beads of sweat fell down the side of your face, “I've missed you. It’s good to see you my beautiful Y/N.”

You shook your head quickly, hoping to shake this nightmare from your reality. He was _not_ in front of you right now. _This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real…_

“This is real Y/N, and you aren’t leaving here with Shield today.”

_Fuck you said that out loud…_

He leant over and tucked a loose piece of hair behind your ear. You grimaced at his touch and shrunk into yourself. You even felt yourself growl at him.

He tsked at you, “That’s no way to treat me Y/N. After all these years? You _know better than that.”_

You were both torn from your moment when you heard footsteps burst through the door. They had a distinct _click clack_ against the tile floor, like the sound of high heels, so you knew it was Wanda, Sharon, or Nat. They were lighter but held urgency. They immediately stopped within inches of the entrance.

_Thank god, you might make it out of this alive._

Wanda stood firmly, hiding her worry and panic over Pierce touching you. “Back away Pierce—”

Hearing her voice gave you more comfort than you expected.

But Wanda wasn’t able to finish her thought, as she suddenly dropped to the floor. You heard the loud thud of her body slamming to the cold tile floor and when you saw her body connect with the floor, you whipped your head to see her spasming uncontrollably, then her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

You saw Sharon knelt down next to her to try to calm her down, but it did no use. Wanda looked like she had been tasered. You could even smell the burnt skin wafting in the air.

_Who did that to her?! Was there someone else in the bathroom? What the hell was going on?!_

Another man was at the entrance of the restroom and Sharon leapt up to throat punch him. He fell over with one swing.

Then she turned her rage on Pierce.

But what she saw next frightened her. Pierce had dragged you up to your feet and put you in a choke hold against his lithe body. His other hand held a gun that was pointed at your temple.

You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t do anything but allow the tears to fall. This had taken such a turn that you weren’t prepared for. This was really it. You knew he'd never let you go.

Sharon stood strong, with her gun pointed at Pierce. She starts to take slow steps towards you, “Put your weapon down Pierce.”

“One more step and I blow her brains out Carter.”

You couldn’t take this anymore. Why did you get entangled in this mess with Hydra and Pierce? You hated your father for this. You hated your life. You just want it all to end.

And that’s when you found your voice. The release of your built up emotions over the years. You finally screamed at the top of your lungs, hoping someone would hear you.

~~

Steve and Bucky were moving around the press, entertaining all their prying questions and comments about the day. Especially Bucky’s relationship with you.

But ever since he left you in the bathroom, something wasn’t sitting right with him. Something was prickling at the back of his neck, saying that something was wrong. But he couldn’t pinpoint it.

He went through the motions, gave the press the answers they wanted, kept up appearances for Shield.

But when he made eye contact with Nat, he saw the exact same deep, concerned worry etched across her face. She hid it well, but he knew her tells.

They slowly made their way to each other and when within ear shot, Nat spoke, “Something isn’t right.”

“I know…but I can’t figure it out Tasha.” Bucky whispered back.

Nat took a minute to survey the crowd in front of them. Tony was dramatically retelling a story to some socialites, Steve was speaking professionally with the mayor, Sam was speaking with Army buddies. It was all _too_ calm.

Things were never this calm when they were in the thick of chaos.

None of it was making sense.

Until it finally clicked with Nat.

“Pierce isn’t here…”

_And neither were any of his henchmen or FBI comrades._

Bucky went still. There’s only one place he’d be…more like one person he’d make sure to see.

_“Y/N.”_

_“Y/N!”_ Bucky and Nat panicked at the same moment.

_Why did it take them so long to figure it out?! Why did they not keep better tabs on him?!_

He trusted Wanda and Sharon, but he knew they would be out of their depth with who Pierce ran with.

And when they heard that blood curdling scream? They picked up their pace, and took off back into the church, knowing their suspicions were correct.

Nat prayed they would get there in time to save her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhh what a lot to unpack here, let me know what you think :) thanks for reading!


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